Implementation of Hazards Planning
If you have reviewed the Planning for Hazards Guide and are interested in reducing the risk to hazards in your community, this page offers a detailed process and supporting materials for developing a working group of planning staff, officials, and other resource experts and step-by-step advice for gathering information on hazards and achieving consensus on which land use tools should be developed and adopted.
Planning for Hazards Workbook
This workbook was developed by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to facilitate and implement land use strategies for reducing risk in communities throughout the state (or beyond). It provides a community with necessary background information and the tools to initiate a planning process (including sample agendas, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading) to prepare for and mitigate hazards by integrating resilience and hazard mitigation principles into local plans and regulations.
The workbook is organized around a series of five work sessions, each with a defined set of meeting objectives and outcomes, and includes the supporting materials necessary to facilitate or participate in the work session. By the end of the fifth work session, the community should have successfully implemented one or more planning tools that reduce risk to hazards.
Access the workbook appendix.
Summary of Work Sessions
The work sessions are intended to convene the working group at key milestones of the project, such as discussing the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) and prioritizing planning implementation tools. The work sessions are an opportunity to solicit feedback from the working group, to brainstorm strategies, and to follow up on actions from previous work sessions or related projects. Actions necessary for completing the major tasks of the project will also occur between work sessions.
The five proposed work sessions are summarized below, and each is estimated to be approximately two hours in duration (though some may require more or less time).
The five proposed work sessions are summarized below, and each is estimated to be approximately two to three hours in duration (though some may require more time).
Work Session 1 – Provide Introduction and Framework, and Assess Community Vulnerability
This work session should be considered the project kick off for the working group. During this work session, the working group will discuss overall project objectives and individual roles, an overview of the risk assessment and data collection process and will begin developing a stakeholder engagement strategy. Following the initial framing of the project, the working group will assess community vulnerability and develop problem statements, which will be used in subsequent work sessions to identify specific planning implementation tools. The results of this meeting will also shape the development of the risk assessment, which will be developed after this work session.
Key issues to discuss at meeting:
- Identify community issues and relevant current projects underway
- Frame the risk assessment process and identify hazards to be addressed
- Assess community vulnerability
- Develop problem statements
Work Session 2 – Assess Capabilities and Develop Planning Strategies
This second work session is intended to explore how the HIRA can be used to reduce and mitigate hazard risk by developing or modifying the community’s land use tools and strategies. Participants will identify gaps in current programs, plans, and regulations based on the community’s vulnerability to hazards, and generate a list of planning strategies for consideration.
Key issues to discuss at meeting:
- Discuss draft HIRA or local risk assessment
- Review community capabilities
- Discuss initial planning implementation strategies
Work Session 3 – Prioritize Planning Implementation Tools
The intent of this third work session is to prioritize potential land use implementation tools to reduce risk to hazards. This work session can also be used to begin developing an action plan for drafting selected implementation tools. Following this work session, the project manager will lead the development of the selected planning implementation tools with involvement from working group participants and/or outside consultants and will present drafts of the tools during Work Session 4.
Key issue to discuss at meeting:
- Planning implementation tools prioritization exercise
Work Session 4 – Review and Refine Draft Planning Implementation Tools
The intent of this fourth work session is to review and refine the draft planning implementation tools (such as draft ordinances) and develop a process for formal adoption or implementation of the tool once complete. Draft planning implementation tools should be distributed well in advance of this work session (two or three weeks depending on length and complexity of the tools). This work session requires the most tailoring since the focus of the meeting will depend on the types of tools selected. NOTE: Depending on the types of tools selected, review and refinement of the drafts may require one or more additional meeting(s).
Key issues to discuss at meeting:
- Review draft implementation tools
- Identify outstanding tasks
- Develop outreach strategy and process for approval and/or adoption
Work Session 5 – Establish Implementation and Maintenance Procedures
The purpose of this final work session is to establish protocols for implementation and maintenance of the planning tools and to discuss next steps in your community’s hazard risk reduction efforts. Prior to this work session, the working group will receive final drafts of the planning tools and will discuss how the tools will be administered, monitored, and amended over time and how the working group will continue to be involved.
Key issues to discuss at meeting:
- Discuss final draft implementation tools
- Establish protocols for ongoing administration and maintenance
- Identify future risk reduction projects
Where Its Been Done
The Town of Milliken and City of Manitou Springs, Colorado were selected as pilot communities for this project as both communities were severely affected by the federally declared flood disaster of 2013, and both offer unique opportunities to implement planning best practices. As a result of their participation in this project, Milliken adopted updates to their landscaping code to promote water conservation and stormwater best management practices, and Manitou Springs adopted updates to their subdivision and zoning code to mitigate wildfire, flooding, and geologic hazard risks.