Scituate council adopts updated Hazard Mitigation and Flood Management Plan

The Scituate Town Council voted to adopt the Town of Scituate 2025 Hazard Mitigation and Flood Management Plan on a voice vote, moving the update on to state review and FEMA approval.

Kim Jacobs, the consultant who led the plan update, told the council the document updates Scituate’s 2017 mitigation plan to align with the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act and to make the town eligible for certain resilience grants. Jacobs said the draft includes 18 action items and reflects months of community engagement, including a project webpage, several public meetings and a survey that received 267 responses.

Chief Robinson, who chaired the plan’s advisory committee, participated in the development and emphasized coordination with local departments. Jacobs said the town will submit the adopted plan to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) and then to FEMA; she said FEMA’s technical review period is typically allowed up to six weeks.

Council members raised questions about topics they said deserved more emphasis — for example, Councilman Grandy noted limited coverage of tornado risk and pressed on tree- and brush-fire management, and Jacobs and Chief Robinson described actions to coordinate forest management and cleared access with the Providence Water Supply Board.

The council’s adoption makes the town eligible to apply for federal mitigation grant programs tied to an approved hazard mitigation plan; Jacobs advised the council that formal FEMA approval follows the council’s adoption. The council indicated staff will continue to report on implementation of the plan’s action items.