What Are Local Hazard Mitigation Plans and Why Are They Important?
Local Hazard Mitigation Plans consolidate all the hazard-related information prepared by the community, including descriptions of potential hazards, risk assessments, identification of vulnerable populations, and mitigation strategies.
As of August 2015, 75 percent of Colorado’s 64 counties have an approved local mitigation plan (Region VIII, 2015). Because these plans expire after five years, the number of jurisdictions covered by an active plan fluctuates annually. Local Hazard Mitigation Plans are typically completed at the county scale, though some are completed by municipalities (e.g., the cities of Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Westminster) or special districts (e.g., South Metro Fire Protection District). Occasionally, multiple jurisdictions collaborate to prepare regional mitigation plans; examples include plans adopted by the Denver Regional Council of Governments (Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Douglas, Gilpin counties and the City and County of Denver), and counties in Northeast Colorado (Cheyenne, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma counties). FEMA guidance has become more strict in recent years, requiring greater detail as to the unique vulnerabilities and specific mitigation solutions for each city and town that participates in a plan, which has resulted in more active municipal participation in the creation of county-wide plans and a greater number of single-jurisdiction plans.
The development of a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan provides an excellent opportunity for intergovernmental collaboration, in which planners, emergency managers, engineers, public works, and other local and regional officials can jointly develop complementary policies and actions. For example, Manitou Springs is currently preparing a new hazard mitigation plan in conjunction with a new comprehensive plan, which will help link land use decision-making and natural hazard risk reduction.
This excerpt from the City of Colorado Springs mitigation strategy summarizes mitigation actions by hazard and responsible agency. Additional details are provided in a plan appendix. Source - City of Colorado Springs. Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan Update, Chapter 5, 2010This excerpt from the City of Colorado Springs mitigation strategy summarizes mitigation actions by hazard and responsible agency. Additional details are provided in a plan appendix. Source - City of Colorado Springs. Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan Update, Chapter 5, 2010
Is Our Jurisdiction Covered by a FEMA-Approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan?
Information on jurisdictions currently covered by a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan can be accessed in several ways. To find out which jurisdictions are covered by a FEMA-approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan:
- Contact your local emergency manager. Refer to a list of Colorado’s emergency managers. Local emergency managers are most familiar with the current status of any mitigation planning efforts (either completed or underway) and are knowledgeable on how best to become involved in a future mitigation planning process.
- Visit the State of Colorado’s Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management webpage on Regional and Local Hazard Mitigation Plans for the status of FEMA-approved mitigation plans in the state. The site also provides quick links to each mitigation plan, if available electronically.
- Contact your regional or statewide contacts for mitigation programs.
Access the State Hazard Mitigation Officer, the Mitigation Planning Program Manager, and regional contacts for specific areas across the state. These resources have access to up-to-date status reports on a particular jurisdiction’s FEMA-approved mitigation plan.