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Arlington board adopts updated hazard mitigation plan to keep FEMA grant eligibility
Summary
The board adopted Resolution 25-11 approving the updated Arlington Public Schools hazard mitigation plan and directing submission to the state and FEMA for review. Staff said the plan updates identified priority hazards, adds extreme-weather and wildfire-smoke considerations, and links the district to potential FEMA recovery assistance.
The Arlington Public Schools Board adopted Resolution 25-11 on Tuesday to renew the district's hazard mitigation plan and submit it to the Washington State Department of Emergency Management and FEMA for review. The action renews an earlier approved plan and preserves eligibility for FEMA mitigation and recovery assistance.
Brian Lewis, the executive director of operations, introduced the plan renewal and said two principal reasons to participate are to reduce exposure to natural hazards and to streamline access to FEMA funding following a qualifying event. "If you can mitigate that exposure, then you can reduce the potential loss of life and limb and damage to your assets," Lewis said, and added that approved plans can speed access to federal assistance.
Ed Aylesworth, director of nutrition and support services, joined Lewis in describing the plan's update process. They said staff solicited input from internal and external stakeholders, reviewed the district's hazard profile and aligned the update with the state template used for FEMA submission. The plan identifies six primary hazards considered in earlier versions (earthquake, tsunami, volcanic lahar, flood, wildfire and landslide). Staff explained they added extreme weather and wildfire smoke to reflect recent weather patterns and that volcanic lahar risk was judged low for district buildings because campus elevations fall outside likely lahar paths.
Lewis said the district has previously participated in FEMA-approved mitigation planning (original approval in 2017) and was overdue for a renewal because of the pandemic. "We're supposed to renew every 5 years," he told the board. The next steps are board resolution adoption, state review, bundling with other districts' plans, and FEMA review and approval.
Director Watts moved adoption of Resolution 25-11; Director Knapp seconded. The board approved the resolution unanimously on voice/roll-call vote.
Lewis noted the plan is posted on the district website and that staff will continue stakeholder outreach as the document proceeds through the state and federal review process. The adoption preserves eligibility for certain federal hazard-mitigation and recovery programs and formalizes district actions to reduce hazard exposure.
