Project Purpose

Hamilton County is leading the process of updating a plan which focuses on the reduction or elimination of impacts resulting from natural and manmade hazards throughout the County.  Having an approved and updated Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP)  in place is a requirement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for communities, counties, school districts and other groups to qualify for several types of hazard mitigation funding opportunities, including 75% federal cost-sharing under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.  The current Hazard Mitigation Plan originally developed in 2009 is due for an update every five years, as required by FEMA. 

Hazard mitigation planning includes working with participating communities, the County, and other agencies to prioritize and complete projects designed to make communities safer and ease potential damage from disasters.  According to FEMA, every dollar spent on hazard mitigation planning results in a four-dollar savings on post-disaster cleanup and rebuilding.  JEO Consulting Group, Inc. assisted with development of the original plan and will also help with the updating process. The planning team for this update consists of representatives from the city of Aurora, Hamilton County, Public Works, and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDNR), and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

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Project Status

The Hamilton County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update process began in October 2013 with the project kick-off meeting. Two rounds of public meetings were held; the first round of meetings, focused on hazard identification and risk assessment, were in January 2014, and the second round of meetings, focused on project identification, occurred in May 2014.

The Hamilton County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan has since been reviewed by the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and has received approval pending local adoption. Each jurisdiction that participated in the planning process as a direct participant will need to adopt the plan. The updated Hazard Mitigation Plan is available for download below.

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Sections
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Adoption Resolutions

Community Adoption Resolution

County Adoption Resolution

School Adoption Resolution

Following the public review period the hazard mitigation plan will be submitted to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for review and approval.

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Mitigation Minute: Mitigation Grant Opportunities

FEMA recently released information regarding the appropriations for the 2014 Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program and the 2014 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Program. Communities wishing to submit grants under these programs will need to have applications completed and submitted by June 9, 2014.

The PDM Grant Program provides resources to assist states, tribal governments, territories and local communities to reduce overall risk to the population and structures from future hazard events, while also reducing the reliance on federal funding from future disasters. For 2014 the PDM Grant Program received $23M to fund plans and projects across the United States. All 50 states and six US territories will receive a base amount of $250,000 with the balance of the funds being distributed on a competitive basis.

The FMA Grant Program provides resources to assist state, tribal governments, territories and local communities in their efforts to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damages to buildings and structures insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). For 2014 the FMA Grant Program received $89M. The FMA has set the following project priorities: 1) Flood Mitigation Planning; 2) Projects to address Severe Repetitive Loss properties; and 3) Projects to address Repetitive Loss properties.  FMA funds will be distributed on a competitive basis.

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