Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook - Flipbook - Page 76
communities even if it never touches them directly; for example, air quality issues from wildfires, or an influx of evacuees who
need support or access to through roads.
Keeping this in mind as you plan for economic recovery is important, because planning for economic disruptions and disasters
needs to occur from a holistic approach rather than looking solely at jurisdictional silos. Many communities recognize the
interdependence with neighboring jurisdictions and have service sharing agreements in place. While this is done with some
departments, such as police and fire, it is worthwhile to investigate if other agreements can be made or recovery and resiliency
planning processes combined.
Assessing and Reducing Risk
Once the geographic vulnerabilities of a community are identified through the THIRA process, it is important to assess how
significant the risk is for each type of vulnerability and to plan for ways to reduce those risks. Developing a community hazard
mitigation program is one method for planning to reduce risk.
Hazard mitigation. Afer identifying risks and any gaps to responding to those risks in the THIRA and SPR, the hazard mitigation
planning process assists a community in developing long-term strategies for increasing resiliency to future disasters. Hazard
mitigation planning reduces the loss of life and property damage by minimizing the impact of disasters through targeted
projects aimed at reducing specific risks identified in the THIRA.
Such planning is most efective when it is embedded in other government planning processes, regulations, and policies.
Integrating the principles of hazard mitigation into other planning eforts ensures that community resiliency is an integral part
of community operations. Hazard mitigation is the only phase of emergency management specifically dedicated to breaking
the cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. Local Hazard Mitigation Plans (LHMPs) have not only become a
requirement for California jurisdictions, but are also becoming more visible to community members and more important as a
tool for validating grant and other funding requests.93
The Local Mitigation Planning Handbook 94 developed by FEMA is an excellent tool to aid a community beginning a local
mitigation planning program and opening the door to funding opportunities that come from having an approved and locally
adopted mitigation plan.
Economic Development Takeaway
Hazard mitigation is the only phase of emergency management specifically dedicated
to breaking the cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. Local
Hazard Mitigation Plans (LHMPs) have not only become a requirement for California
jurisdictions but are also becoming more visible to community members and more
important as a tool for validating grant and other funding requests.
Considerations for Increasing Community Resilience
There are important factors that should be considered when planning for increased community resilience to known
vulnerabilities, such as infrastructure, community, and natural and cultural aspects. The following steps should be incorporated
into the hazard mitigation planning process to achieve increased community resilience.
Infrastructure considerations. Improving the resiliency of or “hardening” the infrastructure in a community can play an
important role in its ability to recover from a disaster. Key considerations for each of the three categories of infrastructure are
outlined as follows.
93
94
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https://www.caloes.ca.gov/cal-oes-divisions/hazard-mitigation
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/fema-local-mitigation-planning-handbook_03-2013.pdf
CALED | Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook
