| | Published May 22nd, 2024
| Local Hazards Mitigation Plan seeks public input
| | | By Vera Kochan | | |
Contra Costa County is in the process of updating a 5-year Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). The Plan will require working with cities, special districts, and county departments involving three main areas: hazard identification, mitigation action planning, and public comment and outreach.
Moraga's residents are invited to provide input for the LHMP. In doing so it will allow the town to meet federal, state, and local requirements for grant funding. Associate Planner Mio Mendez said that by providing comments, "the Town of Moraga will be eligible for resiliency grants to reduce Moraga's vulnerabilities to local hazards, as they are made available, and for recovery grants once the town experiences and recovers from a local hazard."
According to the Contra Costa County website, "During the hazard identification phase, the planning team analyzed data on natural and human-caused hazards based on the likelihood, impact, and severity. For the county, the three highest-ranked hazards were earthquakes, wildfires, and landslides. Even though every participating city and special district also ranked their hazards based on their area, there are common trends across the county in the hazard ranking."
In Moraga's case, the LHMP Hazard Risk Ranking's high probability factor included landslides, heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms, strong/damaging winds, heat wave/extreme heat, and utility interruptions. The town's medium probability factor included earthquakes, wildfire, flood (urban/flash flood and ravine/creek), drought, hazardous materials incidents, climate change, cyber security threats, and active shooter incidents.
"After hazards were identified, at least one mitigation action item was identified for each hazard," continued the county website. "This ensures that each participating agency has a proposed strategy to mitigate hazard impacts."
"In an effort to make the county more disaster-ready and resilient, the Contra Costa County Office of Emergency Services is seeking public feedback on the 2024 LHMP," stated Moraga Planning Director Afshan Hamid. "The plan serves as a guide for the county to become more resilient to the impacts of natural, human-caused, and technological disasters."
The county also wants to remind residents that "just as mitigation planning helps local governments become more resilient during disasters, personal preparedness can help you and your family recover more quickly after a disaster. Talk to your family about your local hazards, make a preparedness kit for every household member and pet, and practice your emergency plan at least twice a year."
The 2024 LHMP for Moraga is available on the town's website: www.moraga.ca.us/599/Local-Hazards-Mitigation-Plan. Interested residents have until May 31 to view and provide comments on the Plan before it is submitted to FEMA for review. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA