Evaluation and Enhancement
This section identifies procedures for the periodic and post-disaster review and revision of the local mitigation strategy, including exercising the components of the plan, and coordination by local government agencies, between the city and county governments, and with the state.
Importance
To meet the changing needs of your community, a local mitigation strategy should be evaluated and amended periodically. Changes in land use and development affect a variety of infrastructure issues such as potable water, sewer, roads, stormwater runoff patterns, and ecological considerations such as water quality. Storms and other natural processes, like coastal and riverine erosion, continually alter a community’s hazard areas. In addition, strong policies and programs should help achieve some of a community’s mitigation objectives and will present the opportunity for new goals and objectives. Because so many factors will affect the success of mitigation efforts, a planned evaluation of the local mitigation strategy is essential. Evaluation gives an opportunity to better incorporate effective mitigation into future growth to promote economic development and sustainability.
Expectations
The local mitigation strategy should identify policies for its review and revision. It is important to include all stakeholders, through the working group comprised of appropriate government representatives and the public in the periodic review of the strategy. The working group should have a specific leader who can direct the process. To ensure that the strategy is implemented and that periodic review and revision of the strategy is given serious attention, the review process should also be adopted in the ordinance that establishes the working group and implements the strategy. The review process will help prevent domination by specific interest group. An emergency amendment provision could also be included to accommodate alternative courses of action that may make sense in a post-disaster situation.
Much of the content of the local mitigation strategy will be found in other documents such as the comprehensive plan and the county comprehensive emergency management plan. These documents will need to be revised or amended to reflect any changes made through the mitigation strategy evaluation and enhancement process.
Guidance
The best place to start evaluating the local mitigation strategy is with the content criteria outlined in this document. These lists will identify areas in which the existing local mitigation strategy may be lacking. Further revisions will be based on the changing needs of the community. This need assessment should be obtained through the working group. It is important that all strategy revisions be made with active public participation through consensus building.
Evaluation and Enhancement: Examples
| Emergency Management County Self- Assessment |
When the Emergency
Management Preparedness and Assistance Trust Fund was enacted, the Florida Division of
Emergency Management embarked on a new strategy to improve local emergency
management capabilities statewide. As a condition of receiving these funds,
the Division requires
that each participating county government complete a comprehensive self-assessment of
their program. The goal of the assessment is to assist each county in identifying specific
weaknesses, and areas that require the most attention. Once these issues are known, a
local plan-of-action can be developed. At the state level, the summary of these reports
are used to inform the State of Florida Emergency Management Capabilities Assessment.
Contact: Mr. Reed Dugger, Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Preparedness and Response, tel. 850-413-9892. |
| State of Florida Emergency Management Capabilities Assessment |
Chapter 252.35(2)(t), F.S.
directs the Division of Emergency Management, Department of Community Affairs to submit a
biennial report to the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate and the Governor
on the status of the emergency management capabilities of the state and its political
subdivisions. Assessments such as these are used both to justify continued expenditure on
existing programs and projects and to identify opportunities for program improvement.
Contact: Mr. Frank Koutnik, Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management, Office of the Director, tel. 850-413-9937. |
| Comprehensive Plan - Evaluation and Appraisal Review Process |
Chapter 163.3191 of the
Florida Statute requires that each County Government formally submit an Evaluation and
Appraisal Report to the State every five years as part of the Comprehensive Planning
review process. This review is intended to assure that adopted comprehensive plans be
periodically updated to reflect changes in growth planning and development within the
county. The evaluation and appraisal report acts as the principal process for updating
local comprehensive plans to reflect changes in state and/or local policy. Contact: Maria Abadal Cahill, Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Resource Planning and Management, Bureau of Local Planning, tel. 850-487-4545. |
Evaluation and Enhancement Guidelines
- Identify procedures for periodic review of the local
mitigation strategy. [Indicate how a coordinated municipal, county, regional, and state
review will be conducted and include a review schedule.]
- Identify procedures to ensure that a broad group of local
government representatives, citizens, adjacent community representatives, and county
liaisons participate in the review and revision of the local mitigation strategy.
- Identify procedures for exercising the components of the plan. [Including intra- and inter-governmental and public-private sector coordination.]