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Kitsap County adopts revised multi-hazard mitigation plan incorporating FEMA 2023 guidance
Summary
The county adopted a revised multi-hazard mitigation plan after a presentation by Kitsap Department of Emergency Management that described updated hazard modeling, mitigation strategies and countywide coordination required to secure federal mitigation funding.
Kitsap County on Jan. 27 adopted a revised Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan that updates the county’s five-year mitigation priorities, incorporates lessons from recent disasters and aligns the county with FEMA’s 2023 mitigation planning policy.
Brian Nielsen, plans, training and exercise officer with the Kitsap Department of Emergency Management (DEM), told commissioners the full plan runs 390 pages and includes hazard-specific mitigation strategies for flooding, storms and tornadoes, earthquake debris management and wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface. He said the plan is required by the federal government to secure FEMA mitigation grant funding and must be reviewed every five years.
Nielsen said the updated plan draws on new modeling of the Cascadia subduction zone and Seattle Fault, recent local events (including the Port Orchard tornado and regional wildfires), updated zoning and population-density data, and input from city emergency managers, fire departments and community groups.
The plan identifies mitigation approaches tailored to local risks. Nielsen gave examples: targeted flood mitigation using county GIS to identify high-risk areas such as Haynesville, Port Orchard and Gorst; public education and preparedness programs after tornado events; earthquake debris-removal planning to speed recovery; and expansion of Bainbridge Island’s defensible-space program countywide to reduce wildfire risk.
Commissioners asked about neighborhood-level preparedness and community emergency response team (CERT) training. Nielsen said DEM is finishing its first CERT class for 2025 in Keyport and expects quarterly CERT offerings across the county; he described ‘‘playbook’’ work to organize local ‘‘micro-islands’’ so neighbors can check on one another and report needs to the emergency operations center after a disaster.
Nielsen said mitigation strategies are prioritized to get the greatest public benefit from limited resources; the plan incorporates input from cities, fire districts, municipal emergency managers and public outreach at the county fair.
Following the presentation and questions, a commissioner moved to adopt the revised multi-hazard mitigation plan. The board approved the resolution by voice vote and the resolution was recorded as adopted on the meeting record.
Nielsen noted the plan feeds into the county’s next Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan update, scheduled for review in 2025; commissioners asked staff to continue coordinating regional training and neighborhood resilience efforts.
The plan’s FEMA alignment and the countywide, multi-jurisdictional approach are intended to maintain eligibility for federal mitigation grants and improve coordinated preparedness and recovery.
