Local Hazard Mitigation Plan 2017 Update

The Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan was adopted by the Mammoth Lakes Town Council on May 15, 2019, and the Mono County Board of Supervisors on May 21, 2019.
 

The final document is filed with the Mono County General Plan elements. 
Draft documents only are posted on this page as a record of the process.
 

Welcome to the project webpage for the Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) and Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) update for Mono County and the Town of Mammoth Lakes.   The Plan is being updated to include the most current information on the risks and vulnerabilities of multiple hazards affecting the Town and County as well as new specific mitigation strategies and actions that will reduce or eliminate those risks or vulnerabilities.  Both plans are comprehensive updates to existing older documents; the adopted 2006 Hazard Mitigation Plan can be found here and the adopted 2009 Community Wildfire Protection Plan can be found here.  This webpage will include information about hazard mitigation and project information including schedule, meeting results, community surveys, and results from each stage of the planning process. Please check back often for new project updates and postings. 

What is Hazard Mitigation?

The term “Hazard Mitigation” is described as actions that can help to reduce or eliminate long-term risks caused by wildfires, floods, tornadoes, dam failures, hazardous materials incidents, or other hazards. As the costs of disasters continue to rise, governments and community members must find ways to reduce hazards and risks to our communities and ourselves. Efforts made to reduce hazard risks are compatible with other community goals, and safer communities are more attractive to employers and residents. As communities plan for new development and improvements to existing infrastructure, mitigation can and should be an important component of the planning effort.

While mitigation activities can and should be prepared before a disaster occurs, mitigation becomes essential after a disaster. After disasters, repairs and reconstruction are often completed to simply restore damaged property to pre-disaster conditions. These efforts may “get things back to normal,” but the replication of pre-disaster conditions often results in a repetitive cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. Hazard mitigation breaks this repetitive cycle by producing less vulnerable conditions through post-disaster repairs and reconstruction. State and local governments can implement hazard mitigation actions now by to build stronger, safer, and smarter communities that will reduce future injuries and damage. 

About the Project

Mono County was granted funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to update the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, which will cover both the Town of Mammoth Lakes and Mono County.  A Community Wildfire Protection Plan for both jurisdictions will also be completed as part of the same process and incorporated into the LHMP as a separate chapter.  The LHMP is being developed in accordance with the Federal Stafford Act, The National Flood Insurance Act, and 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Mono County and the Town of Mammoth Lakes will benefit from this project by:

• Ensuring eligibility for hazard mitigation funds made available through FEMA.
• Increasing public awareness and understanding of vulnerabilities as well as support for specific actions to reduce losses from future disasters.
• Ensuring community policies, programs, and goals are compatible with reducing vulnerability to all hazards.
• Building partnerships with diverse stakeholders and increasing opportunities to leverage data and resources.
• Expanding the understanding of potential risk reduction measures to include: local plans and regulations; structure and infrastructure projects; natural systems; education and awareness programs; and other tools.
• Informing development, prioritization, and implementation of mitigation projects. Benefits accrue over the life of the project as losses are avoided from each subsequent hazard event. 

Project Outreach and Communication

The Mono County Community Development Department is coordinating this project and wants to ensure that all community members have an opportunity to be involved. For more information regarding the hazard mitigation planning process, please contact Wendy Sugimura, wsugimura@mono.ca.gov or by phone at 760-924-1814.

Project Schedule

The proposed project schedule is posted below. Please check back as future meeting, outreach, and project deliverable dates are confirmed.

Upcoming meeting details:

May 15, 2019: Mammoth Lakes Town Council considers adoption of final draft

May 21, 2019: Mono County Board of Supervisors considers adoption of final draft

Reference Documents

Below is a collection of hazard mitigation planning resources in addition to the County and State’s current hazard mitigation plan. 

2006 Adopted Mono County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan: see below PDF 

2009 Adopted Mono County Community Wildfire Protection Plan: http://www.monocounty.ca.gov/community-development/page/community-wildfi...

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning Resources: https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning-resources

FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Handbook: https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1910-25045-9160/fema_lo...

FEMA Mitigation Best Practices Portfolio: https://www.fema.gov/mitigation-best-practices-portfolio

FEMA Mitigation Ideas: https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1904-25045-0186/fema_mi...