Massachusetts 2018 State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan

The State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) for the Commonwealth was adopted in 2018 through 2023, in fulfillment of the Governor’s Executive Order 569 on climate change. The plan was updated again in 2023, resulting in the current version called the ResilientMass Plan.

Read the September 2018 Plan

The State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) for the Commonwealth was adopted in 2018, in fulfillment of the Governor’s Executive Order 569 on climate change. This plan, the first of its kind to comprehensively integrate climate change impacts and adaptation strategies with hazard mitigation planning, also complied with federal requirements for state hazard mitigation plans and maintained the Commonwealth’s eligibility for federal disaster recovery and hazard mitigation funding under the Stafford Act. The plan received FEMA approval and was effective 9/19/2018 through 9/18/2023.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has since completed the first 5-year required update of the MA State Hazard Mitigation & Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP). This update, called the ResilientMass Plan, was adopted in 2023 and integrated findings from the original 2018 SHMCAP and the MA Climate Change Assessment.

Download the full 2018 Statewide Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan or read individual sections by clicking the links below.

• Executive Summary
• Chapter 1: Introduction and Assurances
• Chapter 2: Planning Context
• Chapter 3: Introduction to Risk Assessment
• Chapter 4: Risk Assessment
• Chapter 5: Technological and Human-Caused Hazards
• Chapter 6: State Capability and Adaptive Capacity Analysis
• Chapter 7: Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Strategy
• Chapter 8: Plan Implementation and Maintenance
• Chapter 9: Planning Process
• Chapter 10: Coordination of Local Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Planning
• Appendix A: Risk Assessment Methodology
• Appendix B: Historical Disaster Occurrences
• Appendix D: Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Strategy Supporting Documentation
• Appendix E: Planning Process Supporting Documentation
• Appendix F: Local Climate Adaptation and Climate Action Plans
• Appendix G: References

2023 ResilientMass Plan

The 2023 ResilientMass Plan is the current version of the State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan. It aims to ensure the Commonwealth is prepared to withstand, rapidly recover from, adapt to, and mitigate natural hazard events.

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