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Holyoke committee forwards FEMA‑approved hazard mitigation plan to council
Summary
The Public Safety Committee voted to forward an updated Hazard Mitigation Plan — a FEMA‑approved document that adds invasive‑species risk and 41 priority mitigation actions — for adoption by the full City Council, preserving the city’s eligibility for FEMA hazard grants.
The Holyoke City Council Public Safety Committee voted Nov. 25 to advance an updated Hazard Mitigation Plan that FEMA has approved, sending a resolution for adoption to the full council.
Yoni, director of conservation and sustainability, told the committee the plan — funded by a roughly $26,800 grant and prepared with consultant Resilient Land and Water — updates the city’s 2017 mitigation priorities and aligns Holyoke with FEMA requirements that help maintain eligibility for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Flood Mitigation Assistance funding. "We've completed the plan. We sent it to [FEMA] for review… and now they finally approved the plan," Yoni said.
The seven‑chapter document contains a planning‑area profile (population, infrastructure and critical facilities), a record of public outreach, a risk assessment that ranks hazards for Holyoke, a capability assessment of city systems and a mitigation strategies chapter listing 41 action items. Yoni said the update adds, for the first time in Holyoke’s plan, invasive species — including water chestnut and emerald ash borer — as hazards to be managed alongside flooding, extreme temperatures and severe storms.
David Murphy, the city’s hazard‑planning consultant, was present to answer technical questions about plan language and the post‑adoption grant steps. Councilors praised the plan’s more actionable mitigation table. "This is unbelievable — all the work you had to do," Councilor Patty Devine said, while noting the grant amount seemed small for the scope of work.
The committee approved the accompanying resolution by roll call (councillors recorded as voting yes in committee). The resolution will now go to the full City Council for final adoption, which the consultant said is the remaining local step required for the plan to be filed in FEMA’s system and preserve Holyoke’s access to mitigation grant programs.
