Archived News Release from 2010

For Immediate Release

Redwood City Fire Department Preparing “Hazard Mitigation Plan”- Community Invited to Review, Discuss Draft

Redwood City, CA - January 5, 2010 - The federal Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) of 2000 requires that cities have an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan to make them eligible for hazard mitigation funding. In general, hazard mitigation is defined as taking action before a disaster strikes to prevent the occurrence of the disaster, or to reduce the effects of the disaster when it does occur. Such a plan generally focuses on long-term improvements and protection of roadways, hospitals, public safety buildings, and other critical infrastructure and communication facilities that are at risk of failure during a disaster. The plan is used to make a community more resilient to inevitable hazards, and to maintain critical functions on which the community depends.

As part of Redwood City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Planning (LHMP) process, the City is responsible for identifying and analyzing potential hazards to the community – including earthquake, flood, fire, and terrorism - and developing appropriate hazard mitigation strategies to address the potential for those hazards occurring. The City's process for developing its Hazard Mitigation Plan includes participation by the community in a workshop to introduce, review, discuss, and obtain community input on the draft plan.

The community is invited to participate in this review and input process:

• Thursday, January 7, 2010, 7 pm
  Council Chambers at City Hall
  1017 Middlefield Road
  

At this workshop the Draft Plan will be introduced in a presentation by the City’s consultants, followed by a question-and-answer period. Following this workshop will be a 30-day public comment period during which the community has a further opportunity to review and comment on the plan and the mitigation strategies recommended in the plan to deal with the identified hazards. The Draft Plan will be available online as of Monday, January 11, 2010. A second community workshop on the Hazard Mitigation Plan is planned for February.

This is an important step in emergency preparedness and hazard mitigation for Redwood City, and the community’s review, input, and ideas are very welcome in the process of developing the Hazard Mitigation Plan. More information on Hazard Mitigation is available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/government/mitigation.shtm.

Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and local business. Subscribe to Redwood City’s email newsletter or other documents by visiting www.redwoodcity.org/egov.

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Contact:
Dave Pucci
Redwood City Fire Department
650-780-7454