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Council approves regional hazard mitigation plan to keep FEMA mitigation funding eligible
Summary
The council approved the Merrimack Valley regional Hazard Mitigation Plan update, a multi-jurisdiction plan required for FEMA mitigation funding; Daniel McCarthy, acting planning director, presented the plan and explained its scope and 5-year cycle.
The City Council voted to approve and adopt the regional Hazard Mitigation Plan update — a five-year, multi-jurisdiction plan that federal and state agencies use to make communities eligible for FEMA mitigation funding — after a presentation by Acting Planning Director Daniel McCarthy.
McCarthy told the council the plan, prepared by the Merrimack Valley regional planning body, covers 10 municipalities and runs to hundreds of pages; it inventories critical facilities, schools and medical providers, and lays out mitigation actions departments can take to reduce flood, storm and other hazard risk. “You have a motion to, request approval of the regional, natural hazard hazardous disaster mitigation plan. This is a a 5 year program,” McCarthy said while outlining the document’s purpose.
The council voted in favor by voice vote; no roll call was recorded in the meeting transcript. Councilors noted that Lawrence served as the lead community on the plan because of its size and that the plan supports eligibility for federal mitigation grants. The council asked staff to ensure the council receives a copy of the full document and the public link referenced by McCarthy.
Why it matters: Adoption keeps Lawrence eligible for FEMA hazard-mitigation grants and documents coordinated actions across neighboring municipalities to reduce flood and storm impacts.
