Seal Beach studies update to local hazard mitigation plan; Leisure World, battery plant and stormwater cited as priorities

Seal Beach's Environmental Quality Control Board on Feb. 19 held a study session on the city's update to its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, a FEMA-reviewed document required every five years that helps the city prioritize hazard-reduction projects and qualify for federal mitigation grants.

The presentation was given by Noel Anderson of Michael Baker International, the consultant leading the update. Anderson told the board the hazard mitigation plan (HMPL) identifies actions to "mitigate loss to life and property from natural hazards" and that those findings must be "incorporated by state law into both" the city's safety and environmental justice elements of the general plan.

Why it matters: a FEMA-approved local mitigation plan is a precondition for several federal grant programs and for state and federal review; the update also triggers related updates to the safety and environmental justice elements and will inform the Local Coastal Program where hazards overlap with coastal policy.

Consultant summary and scope

Noel Anderson said the update builds on the city's 2019 plan and reflects policy and hazard changes in the last five years. The consultant team proposed adding and expanding human-caused hazards (including hazardous materials releases, civil disturbance, terrorism and cybersecurity) and formally documenting the COVID-19 pandemic as a hazard to acknowledge lessons learned. Anderson said the plan will map hazards, assess vulnerability, and produce a mitigation-action matrix listing who, what, when and approximate costs for each action.

"The hazard mitigation plan identifies actions. The safety and environmental justice elements, establish goals and policies," Anderson said, explaining how the documents relate.

New and prioritized hazards

The draft hazards list shown to the board groups hazards by coastal and extreme-weather events, seismic/landslide risk and…