Belmont County Emergency Management Agency officials said they revamped their emergency plans Monday to keep residents during any disaster, focusing on a variety of items, like a better response to hazmat situations.

"The plan that we have right now is a little bulky. We're trying to simplify it, make it easier for everybody to use," said Dave Ivan, the EMA director, who added that updating the entire county's plan includes several agencies, such as hospitals and animal shelters.

Ivan said there's always a chance for hazardous waste to spill on the roadways, especially with the high industry traffic through the county. It's crucial to have a hazmat response team that knows how to handle those situations, Ivan said.

"That's what we're trying to do, simplify the plan so that anyone not really ever seeing the plan before can look at it, understand what it says and respond to that incident," said Ivan.

Also on the state and local officials' radar is buying out flood-prone areas, like Neffs, Ohio, which was affected by flooding in 2011.

"So, an easier way to resolve the issue is to buy them out, tear that piece of property down (and) it becomes green space. Nothing can ever be built there again," said Ivan.

County Commissioners applied for a hazard mitigation grant this year, and officials said they hope the revised plan gives them fewer hazards to worry about in the future.

The state will have to approve the plan before these changes go into effect, Ivan said.