Local Hazard Mitigation Planning

Local Mitigation Plan Review Guide and Handbook

FEMA's Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Guidance (October 1, 2011) is the official guidance for State, local, and Tribal governments to meet the requirements of the Mitigation Planning regulations under the Stafford Act and 44 CFR Part 201.

The Local Mitigation Planning Handbook is a guide for local governments to develop, update and put in place local mitigation plans. This handbook offers practical approaches, tools, worksheets and planning examples on how communities can develop their local mitigation plan. It is intended as a complement to the Local Mitigation Plan Review Guide.

Local Plans in Massachusetts

Plans are submitted to MEMA and FEMA Region 1 for review and approval. For more information, please contact MEMA's Mitigation Unit, at Mitigation@massmail.state.ma.us.

How to Submit A Mitigation Plan to MEMA 

Individuals interested in learning more about the hazard mitigation planning process can take FEMA’s online free training course IS-318.

Hazard Mitigation for Natural Disasters: A Starter Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities

This US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) guide encourages water and wastewater utilities to work with their local mitigation planners to implement priority projects using FEMA or other source funding.

The guide provides an overview of the mitigation process, along with practical examples of mitigation projects to address the impacts of earthquakes, tornados, floods, drought, wildfires and power outages.

Download the US EPA Guide here: https://www.epa.gov/waterutilityresponse/hazard-mitigation-natural-disasters

Green Infrastructure and Hazard Mitigation Guide

EPA has released Storm Smart Cities, Integrating Green Infrastructure into Local Hazard Mitigation Plans, a guide that examines how communities can incorporate green infrastructure into local hazard planning efforts. The guide is a case study of efforts in Huntington, West Virginia, highlighting a local, state, and federal partnership and the collaborative effort to address local flooding and protect water quality.

FEMA HM Planning Resources

Sustainability in Mitigation Planning

• Integrating Hazard Mitigation Into Local Planning: Case Studies and Tools for Community Officials provides guidance on incorporating risk reduction strategies into plans, policies, codes, and programs for development or redevelopment.
• Planning for a Sustainable Future: The Link Between Hazard Mitigation and Livability
• Rebuilding for a More Sustainable Future: An Operational Framework (FEMA 365)

FEMA Region 1 Good Practice Guides

This FEMA Region 1 Good Practice Guides file size 4MB reference describes ideas which communities and planning staff can use in developing a federally approvable hazard mitigation plan. The twenty-one FEMA requirements are each addressed in separate guides within this one document. One additional guide offers an optional Table of Contents as an aid for communities organizing their plans.

FEMA also offers the following mitigation planning documents/tools:

• Sample Action Worksheets  
• FEMA Region 1 Mitigation Ideas by Hazard Type   file size 3MB
• State Mitigation Resources  
• Hazard Extent Scales  
• FEMA Region 1 Mitigation Planning Webliography