Cloverdale – Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

2020

Executive Summary

The City of Cloverdale has initiated the preparation of a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) and an update to its General Plan Health and Safety Element. The dual effort addresses associated Federal and State requirements to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters and to develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events. Federal law mandates that all state, tribal, and local governments prepare hazard mitigation plans in order to maintain eligibility for certain funding programs. State law encourages local governments to cross-link their hazard mitigation plans with their general plans, in part to maintain funding eligibility for State funding programs. The City of Cloverdale has decided to address these State and Federal requirements simultaneously with a joint LHMP/Safety Element process that the City kicked-off in late 2019.

Hazard Mitigation Planning and the Mitigation Plan

Hazard mitigation is the implementation of sustained actions to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural or human-caused hazards and their effects. Mitigation planning is the collaborative process of determining what actions are appropriate and responsive to local conditions. Consistent with Federal and State requirements and in line with the priorities of the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the mitigation planning process will be documented in a new LHMP that contributes to achieving the following objectives:

• Protection of public safety and prevention of loss of life and injury.
• Reduction of harm to existing and future development.
• Prevention of damage to unique economic, cultural, and environmental assets.
• Minimization of operational downtime and acceleration of restoration of government and business after disasters.
• Reduction of disaster response and recovery costs and exposure to risk for first responders.
• Accomplishment of other community objectives, such as leveraging capital improvements, infrastructure protection, open space preservation, and economic resiliency.
• Reduction of exposure for public assets.
• Assistance to the public in becoming more aware of local hazards and their implications.
• Presentation of information to enhance eligibility for Federal and State funding programs.
• Alignment with other planning initiatives.
• Identification of targeted capital improvements focused on risk reduction.

To advance these objectives, the LHMP will identify a combination of physical improvements and emergency management activities that serve to mitigate the impacts of locally relevant hazards.  Recognizing that successful mitigation planning efforts must be communicated and understood by the public, the City include opportunities for local stakeholder participation and input, including through the use of cutting-edge GIS technology to map and update the hazard information for each hazard profiled.

Mitigation Planning and the General Plan Safety Element

The State of California has long recognized the need for local governments to conduct their planning with an awareness of hazards that could affect the people and property within their jurisdiction. Accordingly, State Planning Law requires that all local government general plans include “safety elements” that include documentation of such hazards and goals, policies, and programs to protect against their consequences. Following the institution of Federal requirements for the preparation of mitigation plans, the California legislature established a series of requirements to strengthen the linkage between safety elements. This includes substantive requirements that are triggered by the preparation or update of a mitigation plan, most recently through Senate Bill 379, which requires safety elements to include climate adaptation and resiliency content, including a vulnerability assessment, adaptation and resilience goals, policies, and objectives, and feasible implementation measures.

Cross-Jurisdictional Focus

The LHMP update will focus on the area within and adjacent to the City of Cloverdale (i.e., the General Plan Study Area), including land governed by other public agencies (e.g., Sonoma County). The LHMP will, thus, require intergovernmental coordination among Federal, State, and County agencies. It will also require coordination with quasi-public and private entities, including utility service providers.

Planning Area Boundary Map

DMA 2000 and Funding Eligibility

A current and approved hazard mitigation plan is a prerequisite for jurisdictions wishing to pursue funding under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) if a Federal disaster should occur.  The Stafford Act establishes the statutory authority for most Federal disaster response and recovery activities, especially as they pertain to FEMA and FEMA programs.

On October 30, 2000, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act was amended by Public Law 106-390 and is referred to as the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000).  As a DMA 2000 requirement, Cloverdale’s LHMP must be updated every five years to remain in compliance with regulations and Federal mitigation grant conditions.  Federal regulations require hazard mitigation plans to include a plan for monitoring, evaluating, and updating the hazard mitigation plan. A current and approved hazard mitigation plan is a prerequisite for jurisdictions wishing to pursue funding under the Stafford Act.

Project Funding Information

The City of Cloverdale is using an award from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to complete its LHMP. It has contracted with Lagomarsino Planning + Management (LagoPM) and Dynamic Planning + Science (DP+S) to prepare the plan.  LagoPM and DP+S will provide on-site process facilitation, stakeholder outreach, data collection and analysis, plan writing, and strategy development.