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| Last modified
February 2006 |
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Organize Resources and Assess Capabilities |
| The first step in the mitigation planning process
includes organizing technical, financial, and human
resources, establishing a planning
team, and engaging the community. |
| To determine the overall capability of the Middle
Peninsula region to support a comprehensive hazard
mitigation program, local jurisdictions and public
works representatives were asked to complete a questionnaire
during a series of plan workshop meetings. The workshops
were held to solicit input from area stakeholders
about hazards that have impacted them and to document
general concerns. The Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Planning (RAMP) project team is using this questionnaire
to help guide the identification of hazard mitigation
actions for each jurisdiction. A greater understanding
of general capabilities will help guide the subsequent
implementation of mitigation projects and drafting
of policies. Attention is being given to existing
state, regional or local plans, ordinances and development
guidelines. These include, but are not limited to
comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, sub-division
and site-specific regulations, building codes, flood
insurance programs, natural resources and conservation
statutes. Information is also being gathered to help
evaluate the effectiveness of existing mitigation
measures and practices. |
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Hazard Identification
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| During this step in the planning process, the project
team is working to compile data on natural hazards.
Hazards that affect the region are being identified
based on historical records and other data sources
such as available geographic information systems (GIS).
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| The Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning (RAMP)
Committee met in April and identified five major hazards
affecting the Middle Peninsula: hurricanes, ice and
snow storms, coastal erosion, storm water and coastal
flooding, and high winds. These hazards are the focus
of the Middle Peninsula Hazard Identification and
Risk Assessment. One portion of the assessment will
identify areas where existing homes, businesses and
government buildings are vulnerable to disaster damage.
In the future, the committee will use the risk assessment
to formulate a Hazard Mitigation Strategy to prevent
or reduce disaster damage in the Middle Peninsula. |
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Risk Assessment |
| This step will involve the collection and integration
of data, including an inventory of assets that may
be affected by natural hazard events, such as residents
and visitors, housing units, commercial property,
critical facilities and infrastructure. The project
team will collect this information from national and
state databases and integrate it with existing local
level data. The MPPDC will act as the central repository
for all information collected, and following its compilation,
assist in the assessment of potential impacts from
each hazard using FEMA's Hazards U.S. multi-hazard
loss estimation software (HAZUS-MH)
and other risk modeling techniques. The resulting
information will provide local jurisdictions with
enhanced insight into the full range of hazards and
potential impacts, damages and economic losses they
face were such events to take place. (more
info) |
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Mitigation Strategy Development |
| Based on the findings of the initial information
gathered during the capability and risk assessment
stages, the project team, working closely with the
region's planners, public works officials, emergency
coordinators and others, will propose an overall mitigation
strategy for the area. During this step, goals, objectives
and actions to reduce the damage from each hazard
will be identified by way of community brain- storming
sessions to be held in each county. During these sessions,
recommended strategies will be solicited and also
options presented to assist local jurisdictions in
identifying appropriate actions and mitigation projects
for their communities. For each action and/or project
decided upon by the local jurisdiction, community
leaders will need to assign it a priority and make
provisions for its subsequent implementation. This
will include assignment of responsibility for accomplishing
the action, and development of a provisional implementation
schedule. Such information, together with estimated
costs and recommendations as to possible funding,
will be documented and integrated into the Middle
Peninsula Regional All-Hazard Mitigation Plan. |
| The project team will also present a process to
maintain the plan and update it at least every five
years. Stakeholder feedback at this stage is essential
as local jurisdictions will be ultimately responsible
for incorporating, as appropriate, the actions outlined
in the plan. |
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Plan Review, Adoption, and Approval |
| In accordance with Federal and State requirements,
the governing bodies of each participating jurisdiction
must review and approve that portion of the plan specific
to their jurisdiction. To help accomplish this, the
project team will provide a standardized format for
documenting the local approval process and provide
support, as needed, as their governing body considers
the plan. After consolidating individual jurisdictional
sections into a cohesive whole, and incorporating
any revisions as requested by VDEM,
the entire document will be submitted to FEMA
Region III for final approval. |
| The deadline to submit the Middle Peninsula's Regional
Plan document to VDEM is April 30, 2005. |
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