Astoria, Or – Clatsop County signed a Memorandum of Agreement to implement a Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan, partnering with Community Service Center’s Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (Partnership), Oregon Emergency Management (OEM), and City County Insurance Services in 2006. Initiation of the process of drafting a FEMA approved Disaster Mitigation plan may be an important factor in obtaining the federal funding that is needed for various local agencies and non-profit organizations if they are planning Hazard Mitigation projects.
According to information supplied by Oregon’s Partnership for Disaster Resilience, the Partnership partnered again in 2007 with OEM and City County Insurance Services to develop a collaborative Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant proposal for coastal cities in Lane, Douglas, Coos and Curry Counties. The grant supports either the update of existing city level plans or the development of new plans for those coastal communities interested in participating.
The grant was awarded and supports both local and state staff to develop natural hazard mitigation plans in Clatsop and Lincoln counties and the southern coastal cities. All coastal communities are invited to take part in the Partnership’s quarterly training series. This series includes trainings on organizing to prepare the plan, conducting community vulnerability assessments, developing goals and action items, and implementing the plan.
Representing Clatsop County is its Emergency Operations Coordinator, Eugene (Gene) Strong, who attends the meetings, trainings and planning sessions and collaborates with the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST), hired by County to provide technical assistance and assessments. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has also been brought on board to help with the mitigation plan. DOGAMI is doing a specialized piece on landslide and earthquake hazards (risk assessment and mapping). They have a training/planning session coming-up this week with Krista Dillon in charge of that effort.
Dennis Sigrist, State Hazard Mitigation Officer with Oregon Emergency Management, said that he has offered nothing but enthusiastic support for the efforts of the current leadership of Clatsop County. “I am pleased as punch that Clatsop County and Lincoln County are completing plans. Oregon is one of the few states in which all of its counties will have a FEMA approved Disaster Mitigation Plan in place. In regards to the rest of the states, are they doing as good as Oregon? I don’t think so. Some might be, but not many.”
“We encourage them to do the planning themselves, to initiate the process themselves. It’s the old adage, if you show a man how to fish he can feed himself for life. This process takes a little time but each area then learns how to do disaster mitigation.”
An important component in mitigation planning is cooperative working between jurisdictions. In order for county plans to work the cities and communities in the county are a vital component to a viable plan. “Cities need to participate and do their own plan addenda,” Sigrist stressed, “and I really need to have this understood. Because these county plans encompass multi jurisdictions and the city planners are best to deal with their city specific issues. They have been encouraged and will be in fact participating with Clatsop County in the process of the mitigation planning.”
In an email, Sigrist clarified, “With regard to the Public Infrastructure Assistance and Human Services programs from our recent disaster declaration, these FEMA disaster assistance programs are not impacted whatsoever by not having a mitigation plan. Only the post disaster Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program and Flood Mitigation Assistance are impacted when there is no mitigation plan.” Sigrist went on to add, “For HMGP, we can ask FEMA for special consideration if the community identifies a mitigation project prior to having a FEMA-approved mitigation plan.”
What Is Mitigation Planning?
Many are confused as to what a mitigation plan is. Simply put, a mitigation plan is a process for States and communities to identify policies, activities and tools to implement mitigation actions. Mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from a hazard event. This process has four steps: 1. organizing resources; 2. assessing risks; 3. developing a mitigation plan; and 4. implementing the plan and monitoring progress.
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 provides the legal basis for FEMA’s mitigation plan requirements for State, local and Indian Tribal governments as a condition of mitigation grant assistance. Mitigation Planning Guidance provides additional guidance for States and local communities to meet the requirements of FEMA’s Mitigation Planning Regulations.
What Grants Require A FEMA Approved Plan?
Stafford Act Grant Programs
National Flood Insurance Act Grant Programs
* Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) * Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC) * Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL)Whether or not the signed Memorandum helps a project get funding depends entirely on the scope of the project and to what extent the project was impacted during the December storm. Any project not impacted by the storm, or any new project, may not qualify for any grants under the Stafford Act until the Clatsop County plan is approved unless it has special consideration from Region Ten’s regional office.
Jan 16, 12:11 am |
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