Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

Hazard mitigation planning, the effort to reduce or eliminate the risks from hazards to people and property, is the first of the four phases of risk management. It is followed by preparedness, response, and recovery.  Although the mitigation planning stage of risk management often gets the least attention, it is one of the most important steps in creating a disaster-resistant community.

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) amended the Stafford Act to reinforce the importance of mitigation planning and emphasize planning for disasters before they occur.  States and communities must have an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) to be eligible to apply for and receive FEMA hazard mitigation funds which are critical to many of the Parish’s initiatives.

Benefits of Mitigation Planning

Hazard mitigation planning helps communities plan for and reduce risk from hazards like flooding, hurricanes and other natural disasters. Some common benefits of mitigation planning are:

  1. Project identification -- having a plan helps analyze the risks specific to our Parish to identify future projects to reduce risk.
  2. Builds partnerships -- by involving the public and partner agencies in our mitigation planning process, the Parish can continue to build partnerships to ensure the public is involved and a major part of the Parish's mitigation strategy.
  3. Obtain funding -- FEMA requires the Parish Hazard Mitigation Plan to be updated every 5 years in order to obtain funding for mitigation projects. A well-informed, public planning process goes a long way in making the case for funding projects and actions identified in the plan.
  4. Flood insurance discounts -- by updating the plan with as much public input as possible, the Parish can receive points in the Community Rating System program to secure flood insurance discounts parish wide.

 

Status of 2021 Plan Update 

St.-John-the-Baptist-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan.pdf(PDF, 8MB) 

 

HMGP Hazards.jpg

 

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