About the Project

Centre County Office of Emergency Services in cooperation with Centre County Planning and Community Development Office is in the process of updating the Centre County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). Our multi-jurisdictional HMP must be updated every five years, and the current plan will expire in 2025. The HMP will be updated using the best and most current available information and data, conducting a thorough hazard risk assessment and vulnerability analysis, and evaluating and revising priorities and mitigation strategies to increase community resilience.

Objectives:

Provide the public opportunities throughout HMP development and drafting process to provide input.
Update the risk assessment using the most recent disaster data and information.
Update hazard mitigation goals, objectives, and actions as they relate to reducing loss of life and property from natural and human-made hazards.
Obtain state and federal approval of the updated plan.

Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Process Summary

This process has four steps, as outlined by FEMA.

STEP 1: Organize the Planning Process and Resources

Secure technical expertise, define the planning area, and identify the planning team. This includes key individuals, agencies, neighboring jurisdictions, businesses, and/or other stakeholders to participate in the process. The process also must include opportunities for the the public to comment on the plan.

STEP 2: Access Risks

Identify characteristics and potential consequences of hazards, and understand how each hazard might impact each geographic area, people, property and other vulnerable assets.

The four basic components of a risk assessment are:

Hazard identification
Profiling of hazard events
Inventory of assets
Estimation of potential human and economic losses based on the exposure and vulnerability of people, buildings, and infrastructure

STEP 3: Develop a Mitigation Strategy

Set priorities and develop long-term strategies for avoiding or minimizing the undesired effects of disasters. The strategy is based on an assessment of the unique set of regulatory, administrative, and financial capabilities to undertake mitigation. It also includes a description of how the mitigation actions will be implemented and administered.

STEP 4: Adopt and Implement the Plan

After the plan is submitted and approved by FEMA, put the plan into action through a variety of ways, such as implementing specific mitigation actions or changing operational actions. A successful plan needs routine maintenance and must be accessed periodically for changing hazards and risks.