Part I: The Process
This guidebook includes three sections that relate to the process of developing, implementing, and updating the local mitigation strategy -- Governmental Coordination, Public Participation, and Evaluation and Enhancement. While these sections have been organized as separate topics to facilitate the completion of the checklists included in the sections, many of the activities referenced in the sections occur concurrently. These process sections are presented before the other sections of the mitigation strategy because they provide the organizational guidance necessary to identify and implement mitigation activities in a community.
Getting started on the process of developing a successful local mitigation strategy involves two key decisions, 1) who will be involved in the process, 2) what their roles and responsibilities will be. The outcome of these decisions will set the parameters for a mitigation working group that will help develop the local mitigation strategy and be actively involved in its periodic evaluation and enhancement.
The working group is at the heart of the entire local mitigation strategy. A well constituted working group will help to satisfy much of the recommended content of the Governmental Coordination and Public Participation sections of this strategy. The working group will perform the tasks necessary to develop the sections of the strategy on Guiding Principles, Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment, and Mitigation Initiatives. Finally, the working group will remain active beyond the timeframe necessary to complete the Evaluation and Enhancement section of the strategy, constantly ensuring that the strategy meets changing local conditions.
It is recommended that the members and the scope of the working group be institutionalized. A formally recognized working group will provide a context in which the group should work (such as advisors to the Board of Commissioners or staff to the Administrator), detail individual responsibilities, and legitimize any decisions that the group makes. The working group can be formalized through the adoption of an ordinance.
The community needs to decide who to involve in the working group, recognizing the need to ensure that the working group represents a diversity of interests. The chief appointed official of the local government may be the best person to establish a balanced working group. A typical working group chaired by the chief appointed official will include representatives of government and the public. Governmental representation will include staff from all relevant agencies of the local governments included in the strategy development process, such as public works, building, emergency management, planning and zoning, public safety, natural resources, and community development. Staff from neighboring jurisdictions may also serve on the working group in an ex officio status to foster intergovernmental coordination.
Public involvement in the working group should include residents affected by or at risk of exposure to hazards, as well as members of locally-based private non-profit organizations that have a role in community development or disaster recovery, such as the Salvation Army or the Red Cross. It is also important to include the business community in the working group through representation by a member of the local chambers of commerce, major employers, and "lifeline" businesses such as power companies, banks, and insurance companies.
The roles of the different members of the working group will vary based on their expertise. The government staff members of the group will complete much of the paperwork associated with the mitigation strategy. These tasks include reviewing and organizing the Guiding Principles section of the report, undertaking the Hazard Identification and Vulnerability section, and preparing the draft of the Mitigation Initiatives section. The affected residents and business representatives will play an active role in visioning, in reviewing and commenting upon existing policies and programs, and in identifying mitigation initiatives. These members will also be essential in the continued evaluation and enhancement of the strategy. Any members from neighboring governments would assist in the review of the strategy to ensure cross-jurisdictional consistency of mitigation initiatives.
Each community will need to evaluate staff resources and needs in putting together the working group to develop the local mitigation strategy. The members of the working group will need to function as a team to ensure that the views of the various members are balanced and that public support is sustained. A well conceived working group is at the center of the process of developing a successful mitigation strategy.
Section 1. Government Coordination
Section 2. Public Participation
Section 3. Evaluation and Enhancement