Public Hearing Set for Hazard Mitigation Plan
If Irene taught us nothing else, it's that one can't be too well-prepared for lengthy interruption of services. What else did Irene-or some other natural disaster-teach you? The town wants to know.
A public hearing will be held on Monday, May 21 at 8:30 a.m. to solicit public input on the town's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan, which provides comprehensive information on best responses to storms and natural hazards that can affect Guilford.
"The purpose of the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan is to identify natural hazards of concern to Guilford, quantify the severity of the hazards, and develop potential mitigation measures," said Pre-Disaster Plan Mitigation Oversight Committee (PDMOC) Chair John Henningson. "Upon adoption, the plan will serve as a guide for prioritizing implantation of the measures."
PDMOC is led by Henningson, who also chairs the Harbor Management Commission, and has included Bernard Lombardi, David North, Jennifer Alcock, Henry Graver, Joan Stettbacher, Sam Bartlett, and Yvonne Logan. The committee selected Milone & MacBroom to prepare the plan.
Since April 2011, the committee has met monthly and has held two public meetings.
"Two public meetings were held in the intervening nine months. The first meeting described the purpose of the plan to identify potential natural hazards and gain public input on the frequency and magnitudes. The next step is to hold a public meeting to present the historic impacts. The second [meeting] presented the draft plan and solicited public comments," Henningson said. "After incorporating the public input, the revised plan was submitted to the state and FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] for approval. Only minor refinements were necessary to obtain the conditional approval of the agencies. The next step is to present the final, conditionally approved plan to the Board of Selectmen for adoption."
The plan notes that Guilford's proximity to Long Island Sound makes the town vulnerable to various natural hazards and covers several possible risks, including hurricanes, tropical storms, inland and coastal flooding, summer and winter storms, wildfires, and earthquakes.
According to the plan, the primary purpose is to "identify natural hazards and risks, existing capabilities, and activities that can be undertaken by a community to prevent loss of life and reduce property damages associated with identified hazards." It explains that the "primary goal of this hazard mitigation plan is to reduce the loss of or damage to life, property, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and economic resources from natural disasters."
The plan was developed in response to the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, which requires municipalities to have a FEMA-approved mitigation plan in order to be eligible to receive pre-disaster mitigation program grants as well as post-disaster hazard mitigation grant program funds under the hazard mitigation assistance program.
According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), flooding is considered to be the number-one cause of damage and fatalities caused by natural disasters each year in Connecticut. High winds and strong winter storms also most commonly affect the state, with forest fires and earthquakes being less frequent. As of 2004, half of the state's towns began drafting plans for such disasters.
Guilford's plan lists a variety of recommendations for each type of hazard. Recommendations include the continued use of specific regulations, structural upgrades to shelters, and technical assistance for owners of repetitive-loss properties.
"It also addresses, in a very comprehensive way, what things the town can do in the way of infrastructure improvements, flood control, and protecting property," Town Planner George Kral said. "It's meant to be comprehensive but geographical in terms of the types of events that might occur, so it's really kind of an exhaustive compendium of a wide variety of proposals to address those types of issues."
Interested in learning more? Head to the Town Hall at 8:30 a.m. on Monday or head to the town's website www.ci.guilford.ct.us to view the full plan.