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The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) to facilitate cooperation between state and local authorities. Section 322 of the Act specifically addresses:
- mitigation planning at the state and local levels;
- reinforces the importance of pre-disaster mitigation planning;
- And promotes sustainability as a strategy for disaster resistance.
Commonly accepted emergency management terminology defines the phrase “pre-disaster mitigation planning” as “coordination of actions taken prior to a hazard event to reduce injuries, deaths, property damage, economic losses, and degradation of natural resources during and following natural or manmade hazard events”.
DMA 2000 compliant predisaster mitigation plans are typically focused on:
- Physical projects that reduce risk from natural hazards;
- Changes in land development regulations such as zoning and building codes;
- Public education programs; and addressing information and data deficiencies needed to develop the plans.
DMA 2000 also required that individual communities have an approved local hazard mitigation plan in place to be eligible for project grants under HMGP for disasters declared after November 1, 2004 and other grant programs such as the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM).
Participating in the Natural Hazards Mitigation program, the County and communities will be eligible to apply for postdisaster mitigation funds;
County governments have certain responsibilities for implementing Section 322, including:
- evaluation and review of the Plan after a disaster; as well as
- complete a mandated five-year update submitted to the State Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for review and approval;
Local governments have certain responsibilities for implementing Section 322, including:
- preparing and submitting a local plan;
- monitoring projects; and
- reviewing and updating the mitigation plan every five years.
Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant money is given to the State that, in turn, is given to local governments for mitigation activities such as planning and the implementation of projects through evaluation of natural hazards.
http://www.wfrc.org/programs/hazard.htm>
The plan update will not only involve a comprehensive review and evaluation of each section of the plan, but also a discussion of the results of evaluation and monitoring activities detailed in the Plan Maintenance section of the previously approved plan.
Plan updates may validate the information in the previously approved plan, or may involve a major plan rewrite. A plan update must stand on its own as a complete and current plan.
Other criteria that will be considered during the update include:
- if changing situations have modified goals/objectives/actions and/or hazards;
- if additional information is available to perform more accurate vulnerability assessments;
- if it is determined that participating jurisdictions wish to be added to and/or removed from the Plan; or
- if it is determined that the Plan no longer addresses current and expected future conditions.
The Newton County Hazard Mitigation Stakeholders determined that the implementation process should be coordinated within a nascent organization called the Newton County Hazard Mitigation Committee (which will consist of County Commissioners, County Emergency Management Director, municipal public officials, fire protection, law enforcement, emergency, and public health officials).
This Committee will convene to move through this plan so to implement and initiate the Hazard Mitigation Plan’s actions and coordinate all the grants through SEMA by recommending which projects warrant priority based upon the analysis of this Plan and their participation there within.
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