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Oklahoma County moves forward with FEMA hazard mitigation plan to unlock grant funding
Summary
Commissioners approved the county's multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, advancing FEMA adoption and enabling municipalities within Oklahoma County to adopt the plan and pursue mitigation grants.
Oklahoma County commissioners on Feb. 25 approved the county's Hazard Mitigation Plan, a multi-jurisdictional document county staff said is required to qualify for certain FEMA mitigation grants.
"This is an extremely important document in a project for Oklahoma County," said David Barnes, a county staff member involved with the plan. Barnes told the board the plan is the primary mechanism for receiving hazard mitigation grants and that the document is on a five-year planning cycle.
County staff said the plan reflects coordination with 14 jurisdictions in Oklahoma County and substantial work by county emergency-management staff, particularly Mr. Whitworth. They described the plan as currently in "approved pending adoption" status with FEMA; county signatures will move it forward and allow individual municipalities to adopt the plan through their governing bodies.
Why it matters: adoption of the plan is a prerequisite for many FEMA hazard-mitigation grant programs. Approval preserves the county's eligibility to apply for and receive federal mitigation funds that can support projects such as stormwater improvements, buyouts of flood-prone property or other resilience measures.
Commissioners approved the plan by voice vote. County staff said adopting the plan will allow each partner municipality to proceed with local adoption by city or town council action.
Next steps listed by staff include executing the document signatures required for FEMA, notifying partner jurisdictions of the plan's status, and processing adoption actions at the municipal level.
