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Harwich hazard mitigation plan certified by FEMA; county and commission outline mitigation and funding opportunities
Summary
The Cape Cod Commission told Barnstable County that Harwich's local hazard mitigation plan was recently certified by FEMA, making projects eligible for federal funding; the plan lists coastal, culvert, wastewater, and mental‑health mitigation actions.
Cape Cod Commission staff on July 30 presented Harwich's updated hazard mitigation plan and confirmed that FEMA has certified the plan, a designation that makes the town eligible for disaster mitigation funding.
"Harwich's hazard mitigation plan was just certified by FEMA," project lead Martha Hevener told the commissioners, noting the timing was "just perfect" for the meeting in Harwich. Hevener outlined the purpose of local hazard mitigation plans — long‑term strategies to reduce natural hazard risk and thereby become eligible for FEMA funding — and emphasized that plan content follows FEMA guidance.
Hevener summarized mitigation actions included in Harwich's plan: natural systems protection (for example, designing coastal flood adaptations on North Road and mapping beach erosion), structural and infrastructure projects (culvert replacements, wastewater and stormwater upgrades, work at Sacotawet Harbor), and lower‑cost regulatory or plan updates (revising local regulations and conducting sediment‑transport studies). The plan also includes public education measures and a mental‑health response plan to address "climate stress," credited in the presentation to Harwich's director of youth and community services.
Christy Senatori noted the commission has received an EEA regional resilience grant of $445,000 to support regional planning through June 2028 and encouraged towns to use model bylaws, resiliency inventories and technical assistance available from the commission.
Why it matters: FEMA certification unlocks potential funding for the town's mitigation projects, and the plan packages a range of actions that municipalities and the county can pursue collaboratively. Commissioners praised Harwich staff for outreach and encouraged towns to consult the plan as both a funding and planning roadmap.
