Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

On December 7, 2021, the City Council adopted the Sonoma County Multijursidictional Hazard Mitigation Plan which also provides an update to the City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. Watch the Video  |  Item Agenda Packet

Sonoma County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 

and City of Santa Rosa Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

Hazard Mitigation Resiliencey Cycle: Response, Recovery, Mitigation, Preparedness, DisasterThe City participated in a multijurisdictional planning process to increase collaboration with local agencies and special districts around hazard mitigation and to update the City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). This process was led by the County of Sonoma who received a grant for this effort in 2019. Through this effort the Sonoma County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) was drafted including the following jurisdictions and agencies:

  • County of Sonoma
  • City of Cotati
  • Town of Windsor
  • City of Sonoma
  • County Ag + Open Space
  • Sonoma Resource Conservation District
  • Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
  • Timber Cove Fire District
  • North Sonoma Coast Fire District
  • Cloverdale Fire District
  • Sonoma County Fire District
  • Rancho Adobe Fire District

The MJHMP is comprised of two volumes. Volume 1 includes all federally required elements of a disaster mitigation plan as they apply to the entirety of Sonoma County. Volume 2 is comprised of Annexes (chapters) for each local agency and special district participating in the MJHMP. The City of Santa Rosa Annex which serves as a five-year update to the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) is found in Volume 2 Chapter 3 beginning on page 81.

Multijursidictional Hazard Mitigation Plan and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Goals

The MJHMP and LHMP update will help to inform the City's General Plan Update (Santa Rosa Forward) process and will serve multiple purposes, including:

  • Enhancing Public Awareness and Understanding of the hazards that threaten public health, safety, and welfare
  • Creating a Decision Tool for Management to take action to address vulnerabilities to future disasters
  • Promoting Compliance with State and Federal Program Requirements to ensure that the City can take full advantage of state and federal grant programs
  • Enhancing Local and Regional Policies for Hazard Mitigation Capability to provide the policy basis for mitigation actions
  • Providing Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination of Mitigation-Related Programming
  • Serving as a foundational document for the General Plan Safety Element 

Background

An LHMP is a five-year plan that identifies the natural hazards faced by a local agency or special district, assesses vulnerabilities to these hazards, and identifies mitigation strategies that can be taken to reduce or alleviate the loss of life, personal injury, and property damage that otherwise might result from said natural hazards. LHMPs must include a community profile, hazards assessment, risk assessment, mitigation actions, and implementation and maintenance programs. Mitigation actions are suggested and carried out by various City departments. The LHMP is reviewed by the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and requires Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) review and approval. LHMPs have an annual progress reporting requirement and changes to the LHMP can be made at this time. 

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires that state, tribal, and local governments have an approved LHMP in order to be eligible to receive certain federal grants related to disaster preparedness. to update the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan every five years to remain eligible to receive Federal grants for pre- and post-disaster hazard mitigation projects. I

Additionally, California Senate Bill 379 requires local jurisdictions to adopt the LHMP into the Safety Element of the City’s General Plan to maintain maximum post disaster aid eligibility.

Contact

  1. Shari Meads

    Senior Planner
    Email