Los Altos Hills: Weigh In On Disaster Plan Survey

Contributed by Deborah Padovan, Town of Los Altos Hills

Are you at risk from earthquakes, wildfires, flooding or power outages? It’s likely that most people living or working in Santa Clara County have experienced some of these hazards or natural disasters.

Do you want to increase the chances that you can recover from disasters and prevent future damage from these kinds of hazards?

Public input is requested as Los Altos Hills updates its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). Your input is crucial to creating a more resilient community. 

The purpose of the LHMP update is to assess local risk to natural hazards, implement actions through mitigation measures to reduce future losses, and maintain eligibility for federal mitigation funds in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. FEMA defines mitigation as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards.

Studies have shown that for every dollar spent on mitigation efforts, 4 dollars in response and recovery costs are saved. The LHMP update is being developed by a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee comprised of representatives from various Town and local agencies. The Town is currently seeking public input via an online survey to ensure a comprehensive planning process. 

The online survey is designed to collect input on the following kinds of questions:
 
1. How would you prioritize the hazards facing Los Altos Hills? 
2. What actions can we take to reduce future damage? 
3. How can local government officials better communicate risk to the public?

Residents of Los Altos Hills are welcome to submit their input via the online survey by June 21st, 2013. Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LAHLHMP

Public comments will be reviewed by the Hazard Mitigation Planning Team and incorporated into the final plan as appropriate.

A review draft of the complete plan update will be made available for public review in September 2013. Individuals or organizations interested in being contacted regarding the completed review draft are asked to provide contact information in their survey response. 

The Los Altos Hills Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) identifies risks and ways to minimize damage from natural disasters.

The plan is a comprehensive resource document that serves to enhance public awareness, creates a decision tool for policy makers, promotes compliance with State and Federal program requirements, and enhance local policies for risk reduction capabilities.

The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires all local governments to create such a disaster plan in order to qualify for federal mitigation funding. Adoption of the LHMP by the City Council and approval by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as conformant with Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 201.6 

Local Mitigation Plans will ensure the Town eligibility for project grants under FEMA’s hazard mitigation assistance programs, including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Pre-Disaster Mitigation, Flood Mitigation Assistance and Severe Repetitive Loss grant programs. 

The updated local hazard mitigation plan will be added to the County’s annex to the regional plan titled "Taming Natural Disasters: Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area."

The regional plan, along with the County and other city annexes may be viewed at: http://quake.abag.ca.gov/mitigation/. 

Questions regarding the online survey and mitigation planning process may be directed to the Town’s consultant, Corinne Bartshire at cbartshire@dewberry.com or 916-380-3776.