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Town council hears draft hazard mitigation and flood management plan; public review set March 17–April 7
Summary
A consultant presented an updated hazard mitigation and flood management plan that combines FEMA hazard-mitigation requirements with Community Rating System (CRS) flood-management elements. The town will post a draft for public review March 17–April 7 and hold a public hearing on April 7 before Council adoption and FEMA review.
Kim, a consultant assisting the town, told the New Shoreham Town Council on March 3 that the town's draft hazard mitigation and flood management plan updates the 2017 plan and adds a stronger focus on flood management to meet FEMA and CRS requirements.
"FEMA defines hazard mitigation as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long term risk to life and property from natural hazards," Kim said, and explained that adoption would make the town eligible for certain FEMA funding assistance. "By meeting the CRS requirements, the plan maximizes available CRS credit for the town," Kim said, noting current flood-insurance premium reductions tied to CRS status.
The consultant described the plan-building process: integrating the 2017 plan and other local studies, soliciting public input via a web page, newspaper articles and a survey that returned 82 responses, and forming an advisory committee. The plan profiles flood, wind, winter, vector-borne disease, contagious respiratory illness, earthquakes, extreme heat, drought and brush-fire hazards and treats climate change as an amplifier of those risks.
Kim said the action plan contains 14 broad actions with multiple projects under each, and that the town will open a public review period from March 17 to April 7 with a public hearing to be hosted by the town council on April 7. If the council approves the draft, it will adopt a resolution and send the plan to RIDEM and FEMA for review and approval.
Council members asked about federal requirements and funding deadlines; Keith Stover and other attendees asked clarifying questions about the public outreach and next steps. Kim confirmed the consultant will post the draft plan on the project page of the town website and provide instructions for submitting comments to town staff.
The council did not take formal action on the plan at the March 3 meeting; Kim said she will attend the April 7 hearing.
