About the Hazard Mitigation Plan

Hazard Mitigation refers to sustained measures enacted to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects. In the long term, mitigation measures reduce personal loss, save lives, and reduce the cost to the nation of responding to and recovering from disasters.

The city of Aurora is revising the 2016 Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) to lessen the vulnerability to disasters, and demonstrate the city’s commitment to reducing risks from natural hazards. An HMP serves as a guide for decision makers as they commit city resources to minimize the effects of natural hazards. The HMP is intended to integrate with existing planning mechanisms such as building and zoning regulations, long-range planning mechanisms, and environmental planning. The planning process includes conducting a thorough hazard vulnerability analysis, creating community disaster mitigation priorities, and developing subsequent mitigation strategies and projects.

The updated plan, which is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] for local jurisdictions to be eligible for disaster mitigation funding, will be available for public review and comment sometime in May – June 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions for large gatherings, the public review period will be conducted online instead of an in-person, open house format. We desire public input and feedback on the planning process and final draft of the plan. The plan includes rating the risks associated with hazards in the city of Aurora, and how the city plans to address or lessen potential impacts of identified hazards.

Once the HMP is reviewed and approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the city is eligible to apply for grant funding to reduce the vulnerability to disasters within the community. Reducing vulnerability helps to break the cycle of disaster and ensures a sustainable future for the next generation. The following grant funding sources are available through FEMA:

• Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
• Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program
• Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams (HHPD) program