Mitigation
Mitigation
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA) requires local governments to adopt a federally approved Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan in order to receive pre- and post-disaster mitigation funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Essex County received a grant from FEMA to develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is currently working with a contract consultant, Black & Veatch, to prepare the plan.
As part of the County’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and preparedness of our community against natural hazards and disasters, the County, in collaboration with its municipalities, is actively working on updating the current hazard mitigation plan. This plan update will work off the 2020 HMP, focusing on natural hazards of concern, assess the risks associated with these hazards, and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate future risks.
WHAT IS HAZARD MITIGATION?
Hazard mitigation is any sustainable action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from future disasters. The best way to do this is to create a thorough plan well in advance, before any disasters happen.
Phases of Emergency Management
Emergency management focuses on reducing or avoiding potential losses from hazards, assuring prompt and appropriate assistance from damages, and achieving rapid and effective recovery measures.
This process is divided into four phases: mitigation (preventing future damages and losses), preparedness (getting ready for a disaster before it happens), response (actions taken during and immediately after a disaster), and recovery (bouncing back after the disaster). Communities need to think about these steps to lessen the effects of disasters, respond effectively when they happen, and recover afterwards.
The mitigation phase is all about finding ways to prevent disasters or lessen their impact. It involves thinking of long-term solutions to help reduce the effects of disasters before they happen.
What is a Hazard Mitigation Plan?
A HMP is a comprehensive strategy that assesses the risks and vulnerabilities associated with various hazards, such as droughts, earthquakes, extreme temperatures, flooding, and wildfires. It identifies actions and measures to reduce the impacts of these hazards, protect lives, buildings, infrastructure, and property, and strengthen abilities to recover from these types of events.
HMP Process
There is an eight-phase process to prepare the HMP, which follows FEMA and NJOEM requirements.
How Does the Plan Benefit the County?
A HMP will assist Essex County and its municipalities with the following:
- Protection of Life and Property: By identifying and addressing potential hazards, the HMP will help the County and municipalities reduce the risk of injury, loss of life, and damage to property during disasters.
- Economic Stability: The HMP helps lessen the financial impact of disasters by reducing damage to infrastructure and speeding up recovery efforts, which allows for community continuity and economic resilience.
- Access to Funding: Having a HMP is a prerequisite for receiving FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) disaster assistance and grants, which can be vital both before and after disasters and recovery efforts.
- Enhanced Community Awareness and Preparedness: The HMP will expand on public awareness of local hazards and encourage community involvement in mitigation efforts, leading to better preparedness and a more resilient community.
Essex County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Essex County HMP update will identify natural hazards that pose a risk to our community and will identify actions the County and municipalities can take to reduce the impacts from the hazards. Having this plan will guide the County and its planning partners to implement the mitigation strategies throughout Essex County. By having a plan in place, Essex County and the participating municipalities will remain eligible for FEMA HMA funding.
The 2025 HMP is being led by the Essex County Office of Emergency Management in partnership with a Steering Committee, Planning Partnership, stakeholders, and the general public.
- The Steering Committee will guide the planning process and provide input as needed for the content of the plan. Members include county departments, several municipalities, and stakeholders.
- The Planning Partnership is a combined group of the Steering Committee and at least one representative from each municipality. Municipal representatives provide direct input to jurisdictional-specific sections (annexes) of the plan regarding capabilities, hazard event history, and project development.
- Stakeholders are individuals or groups impacted by a mitigation action or policy. This includes businesses, private organizations, residents, neighboring communities, educational institutions, and healthcare providers. They will engage in the planning process, share information, and contribute input on the plan's content.
Participation
The public is welcome and encouraged to participate during the HMP process! Upcoming meeting information and materials will be shared on this page and all meetings are open to the public.
If you live or work in Essex County, please take a moment to complete our survey. This survey aims to collect your thoughts on any hazards and risks in the County. Results from the survey will help us better coordinate future mitigation activities to create a more resilient Essex County!
Virtual Stakeholder Workshop for Invited Stakeholders
Tuesday, February 4th – 10-11 am
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 233 572 302 348
Passcode: na2dW6vY
In-Person Public Workshop – All Our Welcome – Please RSVP using link below.
Tuesday, February 18th – 1-2 pm
If you plan on attending, you must RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/kG1QacvQEz
If you have any questions or want to share your ideas, please email: essexoem@essexsheriff.com
Meetings
The Planning Partnership meets regularly to work on the HMP. Check back for meeting dates, RSVP to the meetings, and review past meeting agendas and minutes.
Draft Plan
Check back in early spring 2025 to review and comment on the draft plan!
Additional Information
- FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning
- FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
- Essex County Office of Emergency Management
- NJOEM Hazard Mitigation Program
- State of New Jersey 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan