The Emergency Management Department will be presenting information on a new Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan and seeking input from the community at the Sunday, June 9 General Membership Meeting at the Community and Government Center.

On April 24, 2019, the Tribal Council approved the Office of Emergency Management’s plan to hire the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. to assist with the development of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Hazard Mitigation Plan utilizing FY 2015 Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program funding secured by the Director, Emergency Management.

Why is this important? Hazard mitigation planning enables Indian tribal governments to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters, and develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events. Further information is available on FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Planning page: http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning.

A hazard mitigation plan should be considered a living document that must grow and adapt, keeping pace with a community’s growth and change. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA) places high priority on the continuation of the planning process after the initial submittal, requiring communities to seek and receive re-approval from FEMA in order to remain eligible for financial assistance.

The approach for this plan development is premised on four primary methods, all geared towards meeting the requirements of the DMA 2000 Public Law 106-390, October 10, 2000:

Planning Process—Outreach and Stakeholder Coordination
Risk Assessment—Identifying Hazards and Estimating Losses
Mitigation Strategy— Identifying Mitigation Actions and Implementation Strategies
Plan Maintenance—Implementation, Evaluation and Revision/Update