The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 18 to adopt the county's updated 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan, a five-year update required to retain eligibility for federal pre- and post-disaster funding.

"The requirement to update the hazard mitigation plan is for every 5 years, and that's a FEMA requirement," planning staff member Steve Hoffman told the board. Hoffman said the plan was reviewed by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) with no comments and that FEMA provided minor comments that the county addressed. "So post disaster is probably the most important" benefit of keeping the plan current, he said, because it preserves eligibility for federal assistance after major events.

Hoffman described the update process, including steering-committee meetings and a public meeting. The plan incorporates updated population and census data and a re-ranking of hazards based on survey responses and recent events; he said winter storms and flooding ranked high and that pandemic risk was included in the most recent update. Hoffman encouraged municipalities to adopt the plan so local jurisdictions can apply for mitigation funding.

Commissioners moved, seconded and approved the resolution adopting the plan. No substantive amendments were offered during the meeting.

The planning department noted the full plan is large and available on the county planning website; staff offered to provide links or assistance to commissioners and municipalities seeking to adopt the plan locally.

Next step: Planning staff will circulate the resolution and draft plan to municipalities for adoption, which is necessary to secure funding eligibility for local projects.