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Cut Bank council hears state presentation on Hazard Mitigation Plan; adoption needed to unlock FEMA mitigation funding
Summary
Andrew Long, deputy state hazard mitigation officer, told the City of Cut Bank that adopting the regional Hazard Mitigation Plan will give the city eligibility to apply directly for FEMA mitigation grants and to claim additional disaster reimbursements; the state paid plan costs and annual updates can add local assets such as the city dam.
Andrew Long, deputy state hazard mitigation officer with Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, told the Cut Bank City Council that adopting the regional Hazard Mitigation Plan will place the city in a position to apply directly for FEMA mitigation grants and to recover additional disaster-related reimbursements.
Long said the state led a regional planning process that split Montana into Western, Central and Eastern regions, with individual county and municipal annexes. "Having a mitigation plan lets you be able to recoup additional dollars during the recovery process, after a declared disaster," Long told the council during a presentation and question-and-answer session.
Why it matters: Long said the plan identifies major regional hazards (he listed wildfire, flood and severe weather among the highest-ranked threats) and includes a city-level annex so Cut Bank can pursue mitigation projects without routing every request through Glacier County. He said FEMA granted the central regional plan an "approved pending adoption" status; the city must submit a signed adoption resolution to complete FEMA approval and unlock direct grant eligibility.
Council members asked whether local infrastructure — specifically a city dam that holds drinking water — was included in the annex. Long said not every dam is listed automatically, that a particular dam could be added if the city requests it, and that annual updates provide an opportunity to include omitted assets. "If that's something you would like to include in your mitigation plan, we can definitely do that," Long said.
Long also told the council the state covered the financial cost of compiling the regional plan and that the principal remaining step for the city is the adoption resolution. He outlined the cadence for upkeep: an obligatory five-year full update and annual reviews during which the city can add or correct information without repeating the full planning process.
Next steps: Long said state staff will hold annual review meetings this fall and into the spring with participating communities and offered to work with Cut Bank staff to ensure any missing items are added. The presentation did not include a formal city adoption vote; the council was informed that a vote will be required to finalize the city's APA status with FEMA.
