MVPC has kicked off the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update process with ten communities in the Valley! Hazard mitigation planning is the process of reducing regional vulnerability to natural hazards through comprehensive planning that protects and bolsters our communities, natural systems, and built infrastructure. This process began with a formal Kick-Off event on December 7th, 2022 in which representatives from each of the ten participating communities were in attendance (Amesbury, Boxford, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, Newbury, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury). The kick-off event was held virtually and had over 45 participants, including a representative from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). The material presented provided an overview of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Program, the benefits and opportunities which accompany a compliant plan, and detailed information about the update process. The presentation can be viewed here. Following the kick-off, each community worked to reconvene their Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Teams (LHMPTs) and elect a lead liaison to serve as the main point of contact to guide local efforts.

In March, work on updating the regional plan began with a series of three sub-regional community workshops (3-4 communities attending each) which were held across the valley. During the workshops, each LHMPT developed an engagement/outreach strategy to ensure broad and inclusive participation in the planning process. Following this activity, each LHMPT reviewed the comprehensive set of state-identified natural hazards and assessed each hazard’s location, previous occurrence, severity/extent, future probability, and overall risk to their community. Using previous hazard mitigation plans, municipal vulnerability plans, best available scientific data, and community-specific and regional maps, communities ranked the different natural hazards and identified specific locations and acute incidents of natural hazard occurrences.

Upcoming, MVPC and communities will continue to update the regional hazard mitigation plan by reviewing critical community lifelines (infrastructure, services, and resources that are essential to operate) and developing vulnerability profiles to identify and mitigate risk to natural hazards across the region. If you are interested in learning more about hazard mitigation planning, or providing input to your community’s plan, please contact Hanna Mogensen, Coastal Resource Planner at MVPC ([email protected]).