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Bristol adopts Lincoln County Hazard Mitigation Plan update, gains grant eligibility
Summary
At its meeting the Select Board voted to adopt the 2026 Lincoln County Hazard Mitigation Plan update, a FEMA‑approved document that town officials said carries no obligation or immediate cost but makes Bristol eligible for pre‑disaster mitigation funding.
The Bristol Select Board voted to adopt the 2026 Lincoln County Hazard Mitigation Plan update after a presentation from Emma Mccernie, deputy director of Lincoln County Emergency Management.
Mccernie told the board the FEMA‑approved plan, updated every five years, catalogs local risks — including flooding, severe winter storms, severe summer storms, drought and wildfire — and includes a nonbinding project list to help towns prioritize projects for future grant applications. "There is no cost to adopt the plan," Mccernie said during the presentation, adding that adoption merely makes towns eligible for grant funding and does not itself obligate municipal funds.
The plan resulted from a multi‑month process with participation from local emergency managers, municipal staff and special districts; Mccernie said the county conducted a vulnerability and hazards survey and compiled a 391‑page document to guide pre‑disaster planning. Board members asked whether a later grant award could create matching obligations; Mccernie replied that any specific grant would identify its own match or conditions and that the simple act of adoption carries no automatic expense.
Select Board members moved and seconded the adoption and approved it by voice vote. After the vote, staff said they would file the adoption paperwork with FEMA and make the document available online.
Why it matters: Adoption preserves Bristol’s access to federal and state hazard‑mitigation programs, which local officials said can help pay for pre‑disaster projects such as coastal resilience measures, vegetative management or critical‑facility upgrades. The board’s action does not itself commit the town to any expense; future projects would be subject to separate approvals and any grant match rules.
What’s next: Town staff will finalize the adoption paperwork and forward it to FEMA as part of the countywide submission. The plan remains a living document and local departments will continue to coordinate on prioritized projects and training.
