Hazard Mitigation Plan

FEMA defines hazard mitigation as:

A series of actions and policies designed to reduce and/or eliminate the impacts of naturally occurring disasters on people and property.  

About the Freetown Hazard Mitigation Plan Project

The Town of Freetown has hired the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. to assist with the development of the 2024 Freetown Hazard Mitigation Plan.  

Why is this important? Hazard mitigation planning enables municipalities to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural hazards and develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events. Further information is available on FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Planning page: http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning. 

A hazard mitigation plan should be considered a living document that must grow and adapt, keeping pace with a community’s growth and change. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA) places high priority on the continuation of the planning process after the initial submittal, requiring communities to seek and receive re-approval from FEMA in order to remain eligible for financial assistance.   

The approach for this plan development is premised on four primary methods, all geared towards meeting the requirements of the DMA 2000 Public Law 106-390, October 10, 2000: 

•    Planning Process—Outreach and Stakeholder Coordination
•    Risk Assessment—Identifying Hazards and Estimating Losses
•    Mitigation Strategy—Identifying Mitigation Actions and Implementation Strategies
•    Plan Maintenance—Implementation, Evaluation and Revision/Update

Our first public workshop was held on November 29, 2023. If you missed the workshop, please see the presentation here. 

Contacts

Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved!