Stanislaus County, the cities within in it, and the County Board of Education have launched a planning effort to assess risks from natural, human-health, and human-caused hazards and to identify ways to reduce those risks.
The planning process will result in an update to the county’s existing Local Hazard Mitigation Plan but the plan will be updated as a multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan under the guidance of the county, participating jurisdictions, and a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee. A MJHMP update is required under the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 to be eligible to receive mitigation grant funding.
The nine participating jurisdictions are Ceres, Hughson, Modesto, Newman, Oakdale, Patterson, Riverbank, Turlock and Waterford.
Most people who live and work in Stanislaus County are vulnerable to a wide range of natural hazards, including dam incidents, drought, climate change, earthquakes, extreme heat, flooding, landslides, severe weather, and wildfires.
The county’s population, property, and critical facilities may also be vulnerable to agricultural pests and disease, cyber threats, and public health hazards, such as pandemics.
The term “hazard mitigation” describes actions that can help reduce or eliminate long-term risks caused by hazards, such as floods, wildfires, and earthquakes. Hazard mitigation is best accomplished when based on a comprehensive, long-term plan that is developed before a disaster strikes.
As the costs of disaster and hazard impacts continue to rise, governments and citizens must find ways to reduce hazard risks to our communities. Oftentimes after disasters, repairs and reconstruction are completed in such a way as to simply restore damaged property to pre-disaster conditions. These efforts may “get things back to normal,” but the replication of pre-disaster conditions results in a repetitive cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage.
Hazard mitigation breaks this cycle by producing less vulnerable conditions through pre- and post- disaster actions, projects, and resilient reconstruction. The implementation of hazard mitigation actions by local governments means building stronger, safer, and smarter communities that will be able to withstand future impacts and damages.
The MJHMP will provide the county with valuable tools to identify risks and mitigate hazards through future project-specific actions. The plan will assess the effects of climate change on natural hazards and will incorporate climate adaptation strategies and discuss how climate change can disproportionately impact socially vulnerable populations.
Stanislaus County will be hosting its first virtual public workshop from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4. The first public workshop will be an opportunity to learn more about the planning process and the hazards the county, participating jurisdictions, and the HMPC plan to assess in the MJHMP.
During the public workshop there will be an opportunity for the public to comment and ask questions on the planning process. The county encourages participation and feedback by attending the public workshop, completing the public survey, and visiting the county’s project webpage.
Information on how to participate is provided below:
Public Survey – English and Spanish surveys are available: https://bit.ly/3FtqEu7
MJHMP Project Webpage – Announcements, planning documents, and additional project information are available: http://www.stanoes.com/lhmp.shtm
Questions may be directed to Ruben Wegner, Stanislaus County OES, Emergency Services Manager by calling (209) 552-3600 or by email at rwegner@stanoes.com.
Watch the virtual workshop and ask questions: To join the meeting, visit http://www.stanoes.com/lhmp.shtm for link or call in (audio only)
+1 213-282-5170,,746594498# United States, Los Angeles
(866) 670-1764,,746594498# United States (Toll-free)
Phone Conference ID: 746 594 498#
