SR-413-003-02
Council Meeting: September 9, 2003 Santa Monica, CA
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Approval of development of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan as required
by FEMA
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that City Council approve creation of a Santa Monica Local Hazard
Mitigation Plan, part of FEMA's new requirement that is a prerequisite to receiving future
Hazard Mitigation funding or other public assistance following significant disasters.
State and local governments must develop a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan by November
of 2004.
DISCUSSION
Changes to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act have
placed a new emphasis on local mitigation planning. Hazard Mitigation is now
considered to be the first step in preparing for emergencies, rather than the final step in
recovery. FEMA is now requiring State and local governments to develop hazard
mitigation plans. Council must authorize creation of the plan as a demonstration of
commitment to the process.
The consequences of not having an approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan are
significant. Without one, local governments will be ineligible for FEMA mitigation
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programs including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Flood Mitigation Assistance
Program, and most importantly, potential loss of Public Assistance for repetitively
damaged facilities following a disaster. The City of Santa Monica has received
approximately 100 million dollars in FEMA mitigation money since the 1994 Northridge
earthquake.
Much of the required content of a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan exists in current City
planning documents. The General Plan for Santa Monica, the Sustainable City Plan,
and the Santa Monica Standardized Emergency Management Systems, Multi-Hazard
Functional Plan contain requirements of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. FEMA has
made it clear that what is important in developing the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is an
interdepartmental process within the City as well as ongoing input from other agencies
and organizations in the Santa Monica community. The Council will give final approval
of the plan following a public hearing allowing the public to be informed of the plan and
to have input into its implementation and mitigation activities. Adoption legitimizes the
Plan and authorizes agencies and people to execute their responsibilities.
PLAN STRUCTURE
The Plan will document the planning process including how it was developed, the
planning timeframe, and who was involved including stakeholders such as community
groups, schools, businesses and others. A local capability assessment documenting
the community?s technical, financial, and human resources must be included. A risk
assessment must be included detailing the type of hazards, natural and man-made, that
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can affect the jurisdiction. The plan will include information on previous occurrences of
hazard events and the probability of future events. Identification of assets is also key
including critical facilities such as hospitals, roadways, water, and utilities, and
communications systems. Assessing vulnerability and estimating potential losses will
be provided for each hazard. Further, vulnerability is to be measured in terms of
providing a general description of land uses and development trends within a
community so that mitigation options can be considered in future land use decisions.
Upon completion, the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan will include a mitigation strategy that
outlines the jurisdiction's blueprint for reducing the potential losses identified in the risk
assessment, based on existing authorities, policies, programs, and resources, and its
ability to expand on and improve these existing tools.
An interdepartmental staff working group has been formed including representatives
from each of the following: Fire; City Manager?s Office; Police; Planning including
Building and Safety and Transportation Management; Community and Cultural
Services; Environmental and Public Works Management including, Facilities
Management and Utilities; and Risk Management. The core group will identify
representatives from stakeholder groups in Santa Monica that work with the City in
emergency preparedness and response for input into the development of the plan, and
coordination of existing City activities to be consistent with the mitigation goals, as well
as to facilitate the implementation of innovative programs and policies to achieve the
goals once Council approves the plan.
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REPORTING
Due to the strict guidelines established by FEMA, the reporting inherent in the Local
Hazard Mitigation Plan is quite thorough. FEMA and OES will be hosting a number of
workshops over the next year in order to assist communities in the development of
mitigation plans. The first reporting deadline is September 2003. By September 2003,
each jurisdiction must have the approval of the local governing body, in order to
demonstrate a commitment to fulfilling mitigation goals and objectives. Local
jurisdictions will report to OES during development of the plan. Each jurisdiction must
have final approval of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan by November 2004. The Plan is
then submitted through the State for approved by FEMA.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
The recommendation presented in this report does not have any budget or financial
impact; however, if the action is not taken, future FEMA funding will be jeopardized.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that City Council authorize development of the Local
Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Prepared By: Paul Weinberg, Emergency Services Coordinator
Carl Bjerke, Division Chief, Santa Monica Fire Department
Kate Vernez, Assistant to the City Manager, Government Relations
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