Dallas County to hold a public meeting on October 16th, 2019 and October 18th, 2019 to gather public input for developing a Hazard Mitigation Plan.
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Dallas County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) and 10 local jurisdictions, in conjunction with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) developed a Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Action Plan referred to as the Dallas County Local Mitigation Strategy (DaLMS) during 2006 through 2008. The DaLMS identifies hazards and vulnerabilities, and includes projects or action items that could be implemented within Dallas County to mitigate the hazards identified. This plan is important because the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 makes the development of a hazard mitigation plan a specific eligibility requirement for any local government applying for federal mitigation grant funding, including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program. The plan is to be updated every five years after approval.
In 2012, Dallas County HSEM received a Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant with the assistance of the NCTCOG to complete the five year required update of the 2008 Hazard Mitigation Action Plan. The current update involves 22 jurisdictions – an additional 11 jurisdictions from the previous plan.
Review of the Dallas County HazMAP – 2015 has been completed and the plan has been found to be Approvable Pending Adoption. The plan now must be adopted by each participating jurisdiction in order for it to get final approval. A copy of this plan can be accessed via the link below:
Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP) Update 2020
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hazard Mitigation Plan Update?
Hazard Mitigation planning is a proactive effort to identify actions that can be taken to reduce the dangers to life and property from natural hazard events. Dallas County adopted a hazard mitigation plan in 2009 and FEMA regulations require that the plan be updated every five years.
Hazard Mitigation planning is a proactive effort to identify actions that can be taken to reduce the dangers to life and property from natural hazard events. Dallas County adopted a hazard mitigation plan in 2009 and FEMA regulations require that the plan be updated every five years.
Why is this plan important?
The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires that a community have an approved hazard mitigation plan in order to qualify for federal funding from the following grant programs. Some of the grant programs available include:
- Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive (PDM-C)
- Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
- Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
What goes into a hazard mitigation plan?
A hazard mitigation plan assesses the community’s risks and vulnerabilities to natural hazard events such as flooding, hurricanes, winter storms, and earthquakes. Each jurisdiction uses statewide data and information obtained directly from the community to make this assessment.
The plan includes a set of goals related to the overall goal of hazard mitigation planning, an assessment of existing mitigation measures, and a set of new mitigation measures that will serve to advance the plan goals. The plan update will also look at implementation progress that has been made on mitigation measures from the previous plan.
How can the public become involved in the Hazard Mitigation planning process?
Public participation is very important to the hazard mitigation planning process. FEMA requires a minimum of two public meetings. Dallas County has developed a Hazard Public Survey to allow the public to provide input and comments to the hazards in their communities. Additional comments may also be submitted through this webpage. A draft version of the updated plan will be posted here for review and comment.
