Hazard Mitigation Plan 5 Year Update
Otsego County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
General Background Information:
Otsego County and its municipalities, residents, visitors, and business owners face a wide variety of natural hazards, such as floods, severe storms, and winter storms. These hazards threaten lives, damage property, and interrupt operations. By maintaining a current hazard mitigation plan (HMP) and implementing the projects described within it, the County and its stakeholders minimize the likelihood of hazard impacts and reduce their vulnerability to those impacts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines hazard mitigation as a “sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk from hazards.” The HMP identifies key actions to be taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from natural disasters. The plan focuses on existing and future buildings, infrastructure, and critical facilities that might be impacted by natural disasters. Ultimately, the mitigation projects identified and implemented will reduce vulnerability and enable communities to recover more quickly from disaster events.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires that counties and municipalities update our Hazard Mitigation Plan every five years. Otsego County's Hazard Mitigation Plan was last updated in 2013. The update of the HMP allows the county and participating municipalities to continue to be eligible for some pre- and post-disaster mitigation funding from FEMA. Example of grant-eligible projects include home elevations to raise their first floor above the FEMA base flood elevation or purchasing generators for critical facilities needed during and after a disaster event, such as potable water facilities.
It is expected that this Hazard Mitigation Plan update will be complete by the end of 2018.
Citizen Survey:
As part of the HMP Update, Otsego County and its municipalities are seeking public participation in this important planning effort. Please include your input through our brief citizen survey. The survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OtsegoHMP2018.
Contact Information for Comments/Questions on the HMP:
Contact Kristen Gelino, Planner-Emergency Management and Community Resilience Services, Tetra Tech, (646) 576-4029 or kristen.gelino@tetratech.com, for more information.
Planning Partnership Meeting Dates and Materials:
A series of meetings open to the public will be part of the plan development process, both to solicit public comment and to present the draft plan to residents and local officials.
The Planning Partnership, composed of Otsego County, its municipalities, and other interested stakeholders, held its first meeting on Thursday May 10, 2018. The meeting notes and materials are available below:
Planning Partnership Meeting Materials
Hazard Mitigation Plan Risk Assessment Meeting - November 14, 2018
Additional information on future meeting dates will be posted on this web page as they are scheduled.
Draft Sections of the Updated Plan:
As draft sections of the HMP are completed, they will be made available here on the project website where the County and it municipalities will welcome the public to review the draft plan and provide comments.
Section 5.4.3 - Extreme Temperatures
Section 5.4.4 - Risk Assessment
Section 5.4.7 - Severe Winter Storm
Click here to view the current Otsego County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan.
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