City of Irvine
2020 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Federal Authority
The City is not required to prepare an LHMP, but state and federal regulations encourage it. The federal Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act, amended by the Disaster Management Act of 2000, creates a federal framework for local hazard mitigation planning. It states that jurisdictions that wish to be eligible for federal hazard mitigation grant funding must prepare a hazard mitigation plan that meets a certain set of guidelines and submit this plan to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review and approval. These guidelines are outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 44, Part 201, and discussed in greater detail in FEMA’s Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool .
KEY TERMS Mitigation: Actions that increase resilience and reduce the harmful effects of a hazard. Resilient: Better able to avoid or lessen the harmful effects of a hazard.
State Authority
California Government Code Sections 8685.9 and 65302.6
California Government Code Section 8685.9 (also known as Assembly Bill 2140) limits the State of California’s share of disaster relief funds paid out to local governments to 75 percent of the funds not paid for by federal disaster relief efforts unless the jurisdiction has adopted a valid hazard
mitigation plan consistent with the Disaster Management Act of 2000 and has incorporated the hazard mitigation plan into the jurisdiction’s general plan. In th ese cases, the State may cover more than 75 percent of the remaining disaster relief costs. All cities and counties in California must prepare a general plan, which must include a safety element that addresses various hazard conditions and other public safety issues. The safety element may be a stand- alone chapter or incorporated into another section, as the community wishes. California Government Code Section 65302.6 indicates that a community may adopt an LHMP into its safety element if the LHMP meets applicable state requirements. This allows communities to use the LHMP to satisfy state requirements for safety elements. As the General Plan is an overarching long-term plan for community growth and development, incorporating the LHMP into it creates a stronger mechanism for implementing the LHMP.
California Government Code Section 65302 (g)(4)
California Government Code Section 65302 (g)(4), also known as Senate Bill (SB) 379, requires that the safety element of a community’s general plan address the hazar ds created or exacerbated by climate change. The safety element must identify how climate change is expected to affect hazard conditions in the community and include measures to adapt and be more resilient to these anticipated changes. Because the LHMP can be incorporated into the safety element, including these items in the LHMP can satisfy the state requirement. SB 379 requires that climate change must be addressed in the safety element when the LHMP is updated after January 1, 2017, for communities that already have an LHMP, or by January 1, 2022, for communities without an LHMP.
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