ITEM TITLE:
Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Open House
SUBMITTED BY: Bruce Wall, Senior Planner
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Open house only
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The City of Valdez adopted its current Hazard Mitigation Plan on February 19, 2019, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the adopted plan on March 10, 2019, and requires the city to update the plan every five years to be eligible for certain grants and assistance. FEMA encourages the formation of a planning committee consisting of knowledgeable city employees and members of the public.
The Community Development Department lead the effort to update the plan with the assistance of a planning committee consisting of several city employees and several representatives from various community organizations.
Once the plan is adopted and approved by FEMA, the planning committee will continue to meet annual to ensure that the plan is being implemented and utilized.
The planning process for the 2024 update started on February 6, 2024, with a City Council resolution.
A postcard was mailed to all post office boxholders in the city. The postcard invited residents to attend the planning committee meeting, and it contained a QR code for an online survey concerning community natural hazards and individual preparedness. The survey was also promoted and advertised on Facebook. There were 77 responses to the survey.
The kickoff meeting of the planning committee was held on February 9, 2024. This process was just an update to the plan that was adopted in 2019. Staff updated the narrative of the plan to reflect the mitigation progress that the City has made over the past five years and. The planning committee held additional meetings in March to discuss new mitigation actions to include in the plan. The final meeting of the committee was held on July 30, 2024.
This open house will be an opportunity for the public to learn about the draft plan and provide initial feedback prior to it being submitted to the city council for adoption. An official public hearing to take further comment on the plan will be held during the next City Council meeting.