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What Local Emergency Managers Find Out Too Late about

Mitigation Plans

FEMA Higher Education Conference 2011Dr. Thomas D. Phelan, Director

Emergency & Disaster Management & Fire ScienceSchool of Public Safety and HealthAmerican Public University System

tphelan@apus.edu

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Preface• Mitigation planning is funded by FEMA, making it highly

attractive to local jurisdictions. Most states provide ample assistance in administering the funding and providing some technical support. What local emergency managers learn too late in the process is the degree of detail required and the level of participation required by local jurisdictions who must participate in the planning process of a multi-jurisdictional all-hazards mitigation plan. Can we do more to teach mitigation planning skills in our college programs? In this session, the sub-skills will be identified and experiences shared by participants.

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Course Content

• We teach:– The laws pertaining to mitigation funding

• DMA2000 and its updates• Interim Final Rule, Title 44, Chapter 1, Part 201 (44 CFR

Part 201)– The value of mitigation

• $4.00 saved for each $1.00 invested– The tools for mitigation planning– Basic such as writing, speaking, facilitating

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Sub-Skills of Mitigation Planning:Content from the Field

• Contracting with the State• GIS/HAZUS-MH/ESRI• Gaining 100% Local Participation• Specifics of Strategies• Integration with Local Plans and Ordinances• Public Participation

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Risk MAPMapping, Assessment, Planning

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/rm_main.shtm

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Points to Ponder

• The Crosswalk• FIRM Maps and HAZUS-MH• Total Participation by all Jurisdictions• No Funds Distributed Until the Plan is

Completed• A “Draft” is the FEMA term for “Completed

Plan”• FEMA Approval Takes Longer than Expected

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The Crosswalk

• A Crosswalk is an instrument used by the state to review a draft plan.

• It is highly detailed.• Ask for a sample copy of a completed

Crosswalk from your state agency at the start of the planning process.

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Bacon, R. (2011). The Disaster Management Act of 2000: EDMG515 Research Paper. American Public University.

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Bacon, R. (2011). The Disaster Management Act of 2000: EDMG515 Research Paper. American Public University.

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FIRM Maps and HAZUS-MH

• FIRM maps can be outdated or unavailable for certain rural counties.

• They can be illegible and of little assistance.• HAZUS-MH is free from FEMA.

– The tools to use it are NOT free.• It is a huge application with 600Mb patches.• You need ESRI to use it.• It will not work on a Vista platform.

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Total Participation

• In New York, we were told that mitigation strategies MUST be submitted by all participating jurisdictions (30 in some cases).

• A Proxy will not substitute for participation.• A representative Mitigation Task Force will not be

a substitute for local participation.• You should be cautioned NOT to use a sample list

of strategies from a previously approved plan.

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2. Multi-Jurisdictional Plan AdoptionRequirement §201.6(c)(5): For multi-jurisdictional plans, each jurisdiction requesting approval of the plan must document that it has been formally adopted.

Element

LocationIn Plan

(section andpage #) Reviewer’s Comments

Score

NotMet Met

A. Does the new or updated plan indicate the specific jurisdictions represented in the plan?

Section 2 Pg. 23

The County, 19 Towns, 10 Villages, and 1 city are listed as all participating in the plan in the first paragraph.

The box on the side of the page indicates that only 11 of the 31 municipalities are primary planning participants

Additionally, appendix H documents that the Town of and the Villages of Frankfort, Winfield, Dolgeville, and Herkimer are represented by proxy.

This information is very unclear and contradictory.

Required Revision:

Clearly define and document which municipalities participated in the plan development

Clearly define how each municipality participated in the plan development, i.e. meetings representatives attended, deliverables each municipality met, etc…

Simply stating that all jurisdictions participated does not fulfill the participation requirement.

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B. For each jurisdiction, has the local governing body adopted the new or updated plan?

Section 3 Pg. 26

Section 3-Plan Adoption states the plan will be adopted once FEMA gives its final approval.

Required Revision:

Once FEMA approves the plan each participating jurisdiction will be required to adopt it. The adoption resolution will require a signature and/or raised legible official seal. Signature is the preferred method.

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C. Is supporting documentation, such as a resolution, included for each participating jurisdiction?

Section 3 Pg. 27

A sample adoption resolution is provided on page 27. S

Summary Score N

Clearly define how each municipality participated in the plan development, i.e. meetings representatives attended,

deliverables each municipality met, etc…

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Fund Distribution

• Grant funds will not be distributed to the county or local jurisdiction until a “DRAFT” plan has been approved.

• The local jurisdiction may have to fund the plan development for up to two years before any FEMA funds become available.

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Draft

• FEMA uses the term “Draft” to describe any stage of the plan until it has been both approved by FEMA and adopted by all participating jurisdictions.

• Funds may not be distributed until a “Draft” plan has been approved.

• Be prepared to fund plan development for a long time.

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FEMA Approval

• In my experience, FEMA approval has taken more than 12 months.

• Be prepared for a long wait for FEMA approval and fund distribution.

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Questions