Brief: 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
What do the coronavirus, street flooding, power outages, Hard Rock building collapse, and widespread unemployment have in common? These are all “hazards” in the City of New Orleans’ HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN. Communities across the US are required by the federal government to have such a plan in place.
At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, NOLA Ready is hosting a public meeting as part of a process for updating this plan. This happens once every five years. Click here to register for the meeting. Your voice is important!
What is hazard mitigation? To “mitigate” means to make something less terrible. We know that there are many hazards that come with living here in coastal Louisiana, such as hurricanes and high temperatures in the summer. There are also hazards that have to do with humans, such as terrorist attacks or infrastructure failures. The plan outlines what these hazards are along with specific actions that different public agencies can and should take in order to reduce the negative effects of those hazards on New Orleanians.
Why should you care? By helping the City to make sense of the biggest hazards and how they impact you and your neighborhood, we can help the City do a better job of preparing for those hazards, and taking actions now to reduce risk in the future. We can help the City make better decisions about key policies as well as how public dollars are spent.
Questions? You can contact Jennifer Day, a planner working on this project, at jday@gcrinc.com or 504-304-0794.
Bottom line, hazard mitigation is about looking ahead as a community and thinking through the steps we can take today to reduce pain and suffering in the future. A good plan will save lives.
Links and Resources
2015 New Orleans Hazard Mitigation Plan (which is being updated)
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