TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Bernard Molloy, Fire Chief
PREPARED BY: Rachel Hollinger, Disaster Preparedness Coordinator
SUBJECT:
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City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex
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RECOMMENDATION
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Adopt Resolution No. 24-4788 entitled: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Murrieta, California, Adopting the 2023 City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex to the Riverside County Operational Area Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.recommendation
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On September 4, 2018, the City Council approved the City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex to the Riverside County Operational Area Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (Vote: 5-0).
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Provide a high level of innovative public safety.
BACKGROUND
The Disaster Mitigation and Cost Recovery Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act by placing a new emphasis on hazard mitigation planning, primarily moving from post-disaster mitigation to pre-disaster mitigation.
As part of DMA 2000, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Act requiring local government, state, and special jurisdictions to develop and maintain hazard mitigation plans. To qualify for future hazard mitigation grants, each jurisdiction must prepare and have approved by the Federal Government a local hazard mitigation plan (LHMP). An LHMP must be approved every five years per DMA 2000.
The City of Murrieta’s efforts to update the 2017 LHMP Annex to the Riverside County Operational Area Multi-Jurisdictional HMP began in 2022. The goal was to bring together a multi-disciplinary team of stakeholders comprised of local businesses, community members, City staff, and first responders to create a comprehensive LHMP that identified and assessed the multitude of hazards within the city. The planning process included a methodical approach to developing the LHMP inclusive of FEMA’s emphasis on the “whole community.” The whole community concept promotes the inclusion of emergency managers, city department representatives, and key external partners in the planning process. Murrieta’s planning process incorporated five phases:
1) Prepare, 2) Assess, 3) Formulate, 4) Strategize, and 5) Finalize. The multi-disciplinary team was instrumental in reorganizing the plan to align it with current FEMA standards. As such, the plan is broken down into ten (10) identifiable sections; they are community profile, planning process, mitigation actions/updates, hazard and risk assessment, community rating system, capabilities assessment, mitigation strategies, plan implementation, and maintenance process, incorporation into existing planning mechanisms, and continued public involvement.
The 2023 City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex to the Riverside County Operational Area Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan) has been reviewed by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and FEMA. On September 6, 2024, FEMA determined that the City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan was eligible for final approval. Final approval from FEMA requires a formal Resolution from the City adopting the City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan as a part of the City's hazard planning process. Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT
The adoption of the City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan will enable the City to maintain its eligibility for pre-disaster and post-disaster hazard mitigation grant funding from FEMA.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution No. 24-4788 (includes Exhibit A: 2023 City of Murrieta Local Hazard Mitigation Plan