The Challenge
Communities across the Commonwealth are feeling the impacts of climate change more and more every year. Environmental justice populations are impacted by climate change on a greater scale than other communities. This program provides funding for eligible communities to update/develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan at no cost to the community.
Project Scope
This project was a continuation of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) Pilot Program established under FY22. Under this project, all eligible communities, i.e., those with environmental justice populations or communities with a population of 15,000 and below, may apply for funding to update/develop their community’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan with no cost share required for the city/town. With this funding, MEMA procured a vendor to assist communities selected to participate in the “Local Hazard Mitigation Equity Program” which allows them to update or develop their LHMP in accordance with 44 CFR 201.6. A Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is a demonstration of the community’s commitment to reduce risks from natural hazards and serves as a strategic guide for decision-makers as they prioritize and commit resources to mitigating.
This project utilized and met existing climate change resilience goals, data/projects, resources, and planning tools through the integration of climate change and future conditions into Local Hazard Mitigation Plans. The vendor, along with community stakeholders, assessed the anticipated effects of climate change on all other hazards and incorporated climate adaptation strategies into mitigation action plans. All Local Hazard Mitigation Plans include climate change in the vulnerability assessment and climate adaptation in the list of mitigation items.
Metrics
Potential metrics to evaluate the success of this project include the percentage of municipalities with a FEMA-approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and number of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant sub-applications submitted/approved that were identified as actions / strategies during the planning process.
Since the start of this project in FY23, the following communities have benefitted from the program by being able to develop a FEMA-approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan at no cost to the community: Adams, Boxborough, Braintree, Brookline, Charlemont, Dalton, Framingham, Hardwick, Harvard, Hinsdale, Hudson, Marblehead, Mashpee, Middleborough, Monson, Palmer, Reading, Southwick, Wellesley, and Wendell. The following communities have are in the planning process and will have LHMP’s completed by the end of FY25: Beverly, Danvers, Dudley, Hamilton, North Attleborough, Pittsfield, Williamstown and Worcester.
Results
Community support has generally been very strong in favor of the project. Interest continued into FY25, where MEMA and the vendor will continue the program with an additional 8 communities.
Best Practices and Lessons Learned
The following best practices, learned after several years of hazard mitigation plan development across the State. Following these best practices can help ensure a more inclusive, efficient, and effective planning process, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the communities involved.
- Pre-Meeting Preparation
- Review existing data, previous HMPs, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plans, and other relevant town documents such as Master Plans and Open Space and Recreation plans before meeting with the community.
- Identify and research Environmental Justice communities. These designations are often misleading, for instance they may include private school college students or military installations.
- Engagement with Environmental Justice Communities
- Identify and involve leaders within EJ populations, such as low-income housing leaders, council on aging members, neighborhood organizations, or lake associations.
- While translating outreach materials and presentations is used, it is often not utilized by the intended audience. Identifying effective outreach methodologies must be considered for each town.
- Consistent Communication and Responsibility Allocation
- Typically, projects include a whole project timeline. It has been effective to include an additional timeline that designates Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee tasks between monthly meetings. Emphasizing the roles of each committee member proves beneficial.
- Educating the HMPC and stakeholders on the value and importance of the mitigation plan to advocate for town priorities and mitigation project implementation encourages participation.
- Targeted Public Feedback and Stakeholder Engagement
- Recognize that the "public" in mitigation planning often refers to stakeholders representing residents, rather than the general population.
- Focus outreach efforts on stakeholders who can provide valuable insights into land use planning, hazard mitigation, and specific risks like invasive species.
- Utilizing Technology for Meetings
- Use Zoom for Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee meetings to maximize participation.
- Conduct public meetings in a hybrid format to accommodate EJ populations, such as the elderly, who may prefer in-person gatherings.
- Adapting to Community Capacity Levels
- Acknowledge the varying capacities among communities, from providing high-quality resources to more basic contributions.
- Tailor your approach and expectations to each community's capabilities, understanding that each has unique strengths and limitations.
Project Alignment with ResilientMass Plan Priority Actions
This project is consistent with the following goals identified in the ResilientMass Plan:
- Employing science-based decision making to improve effectiveness of resilience and hazard mitigation strategies.
- Implementing adaptation actions for communities and ecosystems.
- Ensuring actions to reduce hazards and climate risks consider climate mitigation and prioritize nature-based solutions.
Further Action
This project was awarded FY24 ResilientMass implementation funding to continue another year with 8 additional communities.