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Rappahannock-Rapidan Region All-Hazard Mitigation Plan

PD9 All-Hazard Mitigation Plan Brochure

Meeting Announcements

About the Initiative

INTRODUCTION
Following the recent award of grant funding from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission (RRRC) is preparing to initiate development of a comprehensive All-Hazard Mitigation Plan for the Counties of Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock and their respective municipalities.

The purpose of this regional initiative is to develop a detailed and comprehensive multi-jurisdictional plan document, for review and approval by VDEM and FEMA Region III, and adoption by area localities as a prerequisite for continued area funding under the Pre-Disaster and Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs.

THE ALL-HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
The plan will outline actions designed to address and reduce the impact of a full range of hazards facing the region, including such natural hazards as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and drought. Risk assessment for human-caused hazards such as communication and civil disruption, utility outages, hazmat emergencies and radiological events will also be performed. By having multiple jurisdictions work together on common hazards and risks, the proposed planning process will eliminate the need for each local jurisdiction to devise its own approach and prepare its own separate document. Further, this type of planning effort will result in common plan formats and loss estimation techniques that will enable VDEM and FEMA to better understand area vulnerabilities and evaluate future mitigation projects and policies. While a single, area-wide plan will be developed, each local jurisdiction will have its own separate "action plan" section. Each local jurisdictional section must be reviewed and adopted by its governing body. Detailed plan requirements can be found referenced in Section 44 Part 201.6 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT
The Regional Commission will provide technical support to participating jurisdictions in collaboration with consulting firm Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan (PBS&J). Experienced in the development of hazard mitigation plans, PBS&J will work to provide the best possible support to RRRC and its member jurisdictions.

The proposed planning process will consist of the following steps outlined below, with additional information to be posted shortly.

PLANNING STEPS

CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT
A Capability Assessment questionnaire will be provided to local jurisdictions during a series of upcoming plan workshop meetings. The workshops will be held to solicit input from area stakeholders about hazards that have impacted them and to document general concerns. Utilizing the questionnaire, the RRRC/PBS&J project team will in turn compile information about the technical, fiscal, legal, administrative and other capabilities of each jurisdiction. This questionnaire will help the project team understand area development processes and also help guide the identification of hazard mitigation actions for each jurisdiction. Identified actions will be based on the findings of this survey. A greater understanding of general capabilities will help guide the subsequent implementation of mitigation projects and drafting of policies. Attention will be given to existing state, regional or local plans, ordinances and development guidelines. These may include, but are not limited to comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, sub-division and site-specific regulations, building codes, flood insurance programs, natural resources and conservation statutes. Information will also be gathered to help evaluate the effectiveness of existing mitigation measures and practices.

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
During this step, the project team will work to compile data on natural and human-caused hazards. Hazards that affect the region will be identified based on historical records and other data sources. Upon completion, the project team will provide a list of identified hazards to local jurisdictions for review and comment. Examples of hazards that may affect the region include: flooding, tornadoes, severe winter storms, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfire, drought, hazmat or radiological events and acts of terrorism.

RISK ASSESSMENT
This task will involve the collection and integration of data, including an inventory of assets that may be affected by natural and human-caused hazard events, such as residents and visitors, housing units, commercial property, critical facilities and infrastructure. The project team will collect this information from national and state databases and integrate it with existing local level data. The RRRC will act as the central repository for all information collected, and following its compilation, assist in the assessment of potential impacts from each hazard using FEMA's Hazards U.S. (HAZUS) multi-hazard loss estimation software and other risk modeling techniques. The resulting information will provide local jurisdictions with enhanced insight into the full range of hazards and potential impacts, damages and economic losses they face were such events to take place.

MITIGATION STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
Based on the findings of the initial information gathered during the capability and risk assessment stages, the project team, working closely with the region's planners, public works officials, emergency coordinators and others, will propose an overall mitigation strategy for the area. During this step, goals, objectives and actions to reduce the damage from each hazard will be identified by way of community brain-
storming sessions to be held in each county. During these sessions, recommended strategies will be solicited and also options presented to assist local jurisdictions in identifying appropriate actions and mitigation projects for their communities. For each action and/or project decided upon by the local jurisdiction, community leaders will need to assign it a priority and make provisions for its subsequent implementation. This will include assignment of responsibility for accomplishing the action, and development of a provisional implementation schedule. Such information, together with estimated costs and recommendations as to possible funding, will be documented and integrated into the Rappahannock-Rapidan Region All-Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The project team will also present a process to maintain the plan and update it at least every five years. Stakeholder feedback at this stage is essential as local jurisdictions will be ultimately responsible for incorporating, as appropriate, the actions outlined in the plan.

PLAN REVIEW, ADOPTION AND APPROVAL
In accordance with Federal and State requirements, the governing bodies of each participating jurisdiction must then review and approve that portion of the plan specific to their jurisdiction. To help accomplish this, the project team will provide a standardized format for documenting the local approval process and provide support, as needed, as their governing body considers the plan. After consolidating individual jurisdictional sections into a cohesive whole, and incorporating any revisions as requested by VDEM, the entire document will be submitted to FEMA Region III in Philadelphia for final approval.

Please contact RRRC Regional Planner, Matt Criblez,, at (540) 829-7450 or mdcriblez@rrregion.org for further details.