Hazard Mitigation Planning
As the cost of disasters continues to rise and climate change causes storms to become more severe, mitigation is more important than ever. Preventing damage BEFORE a storm is the most effective way to protect our communities from the personal and financial impacts of disaster. A strong mitigation plan is the starting point for hazard mitigation in your community.
Since 2012, our consultants have developed nearly 30 mitigation plans for counties across Ohio. RSA has navigated and successfully applied significant mitigation planning guidance changes in both 2013 and 2022. As experts in the field of emergency management and mitigation, RSA is able to apply the concepts of contemporary risk management to each and every community, no matter how large or small. Specializing in work with Ohio’s rural counties, planners are able to incorporate natural resource conservation in the context of production agriculture, resource preservation and recreational area management. Climate change, community diversity, service to special populations, and other unique local needs are frontline considerations when working with Ohio’s rural counties. Working to develop comprehensive mitigation plans, RSA creates realistic, comprehensive, and effective mitigation actions for the county and each jurisdiction while also satisfying all state and federal guidelines.
Whether you've got a great mitigation plan that needs to be updated or your current plan doesn't meet the county's needs, we can help you develop an array of solutions that work to make your community more resilient and sustainable.
Since 2012, our consultants have developed nearly 30 mitigation plans for counties across Ohio. RSA has navigated and successfully applied significant mitigation planning guidance changes in both 2013 and 2022. As experts in the field of emergency management and mitigation, RSA is able to apply the concepts of contemporary risk management to each and every community, no matter how large or small. Specializing in work with Ohio’s rural counties, planners are able to incorporate natural resource conservation in the context of production agriculture, resource preservation and recreational area management. Climate change, community diversity, service to special populations, and other unique local needs are frontline considerations when working with Ohio’s rural counties. Working to develop comprehensive mitigation plans, RSA creates realistic, comprehensive, and effective mitigation actions for the county and each jurisdiction while also satisfying all state and federal guidelines.
Whether you've got a great mitigation plan that needs to be updated or your current plan doesn't meet the county's needs, we can help you develop an array of solutions that work to make your community more resilient and sustainable.
Hazard Mitigation Plans
Natural and all-hazard migration plans clearly identify the threats and risks to which the area is vulnerable, and establishes a foundation of the damages that are most likely after a significant event. From those vulnerabilities come mitigation strategies and actions communities can take to protect themselves and their property from damages due to tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, blizzards, and other naturally-occurring events. All-hazard mitigation plans address all relevant natural hazards as well as other hazards, including hazardous materials spills and infrastructure failure that are identified by the local stakeholders as relevant.
RSA utilizes FEMA’s whole community planning methodology in a very personalized way to engage a broad range of stakeholders in the planning process. Consultants work with clients every step of the way, from stakeholder engagement to state and federal plan approval stage, ensuring that the project results in an adopted mitigation plan with relevant and actionable mitigation strategies, and enhances the jurisdiction’s competitiveness for grants and other funding to support life-saving upgrades and construction.
Natural and all-hazard migration plans clearly identify the threats and risks to which the area is vulnerable, and establishes a foundation of the damages that are most likely after a significant event. From those vulnerabilities come mitigation strategies and actions communities can take to protect themselves and their property from damages due to tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, blizzards, and other naturally-occurring events. All-hazard mitigation plans address all relevant natural hazards as well as other hazards, including hazardous materials spills and infrastructure failure that are identified by the local stakeholders as relevant.
RSA utilizes FEMA’s whole community planning methodology in a very personalized way to engage a broad range of stakeholders in the planning process. Consultants work with clients every step of the way, from stakeholder engagement to state and federal plan approval stage, ensuring that the project results in an adopted mitigation plan with relevant and actionable mitigation strategies, and enhances the jurisdiction’s competitiveness for grants and other funding to support life-saving upgrades and construction.
Hazard Mitigation Plan Maintenance/Updates
To meet FEMA's mitigation standards, communities are required to update their hazard mitigation plan every five years. Between mandatory updates, it's important that stakeholders continue to engage in mitigation discussions to identify opportunities to reduce risk and vulnerability on a regular basis. As storms become more severe and their impact is more profound, annual reviews add changing threats to the mix, and help communities stay current in not only how hazards impact their community, but allows them to capture new threats and nuances of old ones.
The five-year update process on a well-maintained mitigation plan is much more streamlined than that for a plan that's collected dust since it was approved.
RSA can work with you to design an actionable and affordable plan maintenance strategy. Maintenance activities can range from annual surveys and questionnaires to formal meetings and workshops to gather feedback from stakeholders.
To meet FEMA's mitigation standards, communities are required to update their hazard mitigation plan every five years. Between mandatory updates, it's important that stakeholders continue to engage in mitigation discussions to identify opportunities to reduce risk and vulnerability on a regular basis. As storms become more severe and their impact is more profound, annual reviews add changing threats to the mix, and help communities stay current in not only how hazards impact their community, but allows them to capture new threats and nuances of old ones.
The five-year update process on a well-maintained mitigation plan is much more streamlined than that for a plan that's collected dust since it was approved.
RSA can work with you to design an actionable and affordable plan maintenance strategy. Maintenance activities can range from annual surveys and questionnaires to formal meetings and workshops to gather feedback from stakeholders.
Mitigation Project Design
Hazard mitigation doesn't end with approval of your plan. Plan approval is the first step towards implementing the identified mitigation strategies. From mitigation actions involving complicated federal grant applications to projects conducted locally, RSA can assist agencies and communities in designing mitigation projects based on the community's identified mitigation strategies.
Hazard mitigation doesn't end with approval of your plan. Plan approval is the first step towards implementing the identified mitigation strategies. From mitigation actions involving complicated federal grant applications to projects conducted locally, RSA can assist agencies and communities in designing mitigation projects based on the community's identified mitigation strategies.