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US federal rules require new hazard mitigation plans
US State agencies and local governments must prepare hazard mitigation plans using recently published federal guidelines if they wish to remain eligible for hazard mitigation funding for new disasters after Nov. 1, 2003.
Required by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, the plans will seek to reduce the nation’s disaster losses as well as help decision makers reduce their jurisdictions’ susceptibility to disasters.
Key elements of the new planning requirements are:
• A risk assessment that identifies the type and location of hazards, describes the jurisdiction’s vulnerability, identifies critical facilities and infrastructure in hazard areas, and provides an estimate of potential dollar losses to vulnerable
structures.
• A hazard mitigation strategy that describes the jurisdiction’s hazard mitigation goals, identifies and prioritizes mitigation actions, and identifies its capability to mitigate hazards.
• A linkage between state and local mitigation programs. Local plans will provide the basis for the state plan’s risk assessment and hazard mitigation strategy.
All plans must be formally adopted. Local plans must be sent by July 1, 2003 to the State Hazard Mitigation Officer for review; the state will forward the plan to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for approval. Local jurisdic-tions are encouraged to build upon their work in flood plain management, growth management, and critical area ordinances in developing their hazard mitigation plans.
Without an approved plan, the state will lose its ability to obtain federal funding to repair Damaged public facilities, and to pay for hazard mitigation projects, fire management and other response and recovery activities provided under the Stafford Act. Emergency response assistance will be unaffected.
Washington’s EMD Mitigation Section is providing technical assistance and preparing planning materials to help local government planning efforts.
The local hazard mitigation planning guide has been revised and is posted on the EMD web site at www.wa.gov/wsem. EMD will award this summer planning grants on a competitive basis to localgovernments that previously submitted a planning letter of intent and followed up with a planning grant application.
Additionally, EMD is working on the state’s plan and is re-establishing the State Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee to assist with the state’s planning initiative.
For more information on local hazard mitigation planning, contact Marty Best, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, at (253) 512-7073, or Joan Sterling, Hazard Mitigation Project Supervisor, at (253) 512-7079. Contact Mark Stewart, State Hazard Mitigation Strategist, at (253) 512-7072, for more information on the state planning effort.
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