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 urban/wildfire risk. The team said it raised wildfire from low to medium in initial prioritization and recommended raising hazardous-materials risk to high after stakeholder feedback. The draft also explicitly calls out power outages and utility failures as a secondary impact of extreme weather and lists pandemic and cybersecurity among human-caused concerns.

Board and resident concerns

Board members and residents pressed the team for local specifics. Questions and follow-up requests included:
- Pump-station capacity: a board member asked about a pump station near Seal Beach Boulevard and Electric that the prior plan showed as "just barely under the 25-year flood capacity." Anderson said public works will be consulted and staff will follow up with more detail.
- Leisure World: multiple speakers, including a Leisure World resident, asked how the plan would treat the 55-plus community. A Leisure World resident told the board, "It's almost impossible to evacuate our population there as a whole," and asked for a focused, extractable summary for Leisure World. Anderson said Leisure World will be treated as a geographically concentrated socially vulnerable population and that the plan will include a dedicated section and hazard-by-hazard considerations; staff offered to provide a condensed, exportable summary for Leisure World stakeholders after the plan is finalized.
- Gum Grove and Los Cerritos Wetlands: board members urged coordination to ensure fire-risk reduction work also protects habitat; Anderson said Cal Fire's updated wildfire maps (expected for Orange County in late March) and recent clearing work near Gum Grove will be reflected in the vulnerability analysis.
- Stormwater and water quality: residents asked that "flood/stormwater" be treated explicitly because storm runoff can carry bacteria, brake/tire dust and other pollutants. Anderson acknowledged the concern and said pollutant risk is discussed in the coastal and flood sections and that the team would revisit mitigation options tied to stormwater runoff and trash-collection efforts.
- Battery/energy plant hazard: multiple speakers raised the new battery-energy facility near the city and noted incidents elsewhere. Anderson said hazardous-materials analysis will explicitly consider energy-storage facilities and hazardous-materials release scenarios.
- Port-related pollution: a resident asked the team to consider bilge and wastewater releases from larger nearby ports that can produce odors and scum on local beaches. Anderson said the plan acknowledges the port and would review feasible solutions and outreach options even when the city lacks direct regulatory control.

Grants, costs and timing

Staff and consultants discussed funding pathways. Anderson and city staff described FEMA programs such as BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) and HMGP (Hazard Mitigation Grant Program) and noted FEMA's flood-mitigation assistance (FMA) program as another option. The consultants said many federal grants are competitive; typical grant awards often require a local match (commonly described as about 75% federal / 25% local, though program rules vary). Anderson said the project that funds this planning contract is grant-funded and that FEMA and Cal OES must review and concur with the plan before the city brings it to council for adoption; that review can take several months.

Community outreach and next steps

The team reported 139 responses to the public survey so far and described planned outreach: a Leisure World workshop (March 19), a presence at the city car show and focus-group meetings for stakeholders in March and April to satisfy FEMA's stakeholder-involvement requirements. Anderson said the draft would be circulated for public review and then submitted to Cal OES and FEMA for review; tentative schedule places state/federal submission in early summer, contingent on the public comment period and review process.

Operational capabilities and drills

Board members and staff flagged emergency communications and exercises. Staff described the city's use of AlertOC, Nixle and other notification systems, the annual Great ShakeOut drill and regular tabletop exercises for city staff. Residents suggested additional neighborhood-level preparedness ("neighbor-for-neighbor" block-captain efforts and CERT training) and noted the need to plan for communications outages and fuel supply during major incidents.

Ending / what comes next

The study session was discussion-only; no content changes were adopted at the meeting. Consultant Michael Baker International will incorporate feedback into the draft plan, continue stakeholder outreach, and return materials for public review before submission to Cal OES and FEMA.

Votes at a glance

- Agenda approval: motion to adopt agenda (mover/second not specified). Roll call: Villanueva, Depew, Perrault, Horning — passed 4-0.
- Approval of Oct. 16, 2024 meeting minutes: motion and second (mover/second not specified). Roll call: Villanueva Aye; Depew abstained (not present at that meeting); Perreult Aye; Horning Aye — passes 3-0 with one abstention.
- Reorganization: Chair and vice-chair elections: Susan Perrault nominated and elected chair (roll call 4-0). Don (first name only in record) elected vice chair (roll call 4-0).

Public participation

Staff and the consultant encouraged additional public comment during the formal public review period and through planned workshops. The consultant said the survey would remain open to collect more responses while the draft is refined.

(Reporting assembled from the Feb. 19, 2025 Environmental Quality Control Board meeting transcript and the consultant presentation.)