MARBLEHEAD – The town is beginning to update its hazard mitigation plan on Monday. More than 30 people attended the meeting and an innovative Q&A was conducted during the Zoom to encourage residents to interact and contribute ideas.
A hazard mitigation plan is a procedure that identifies natural hazards, such as flooding, snowstorms and high extreme temperatures, then develops actions to mitigate and minimize those natural threats. Once a plan is adopted, it will allow the town to apply for pre and post disaster hazard mitigation grant funds.
The grant will be issued from Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). The grant is also a source for a partnership with an experienced consulting firm, Jamie Kaplan Consulting, LLC. Jamie Kaplan, principal of the company, was also the speaker who talked about the update of the hazard mitigation plan.
“When you spend pre-disaster dollars, you’re in fact saving. For every dollar you spend, you’re saving approximately $6 on future losses. So, it’s definitely cost effective to mitigate risk,” said Kaplan.
During the meeting, they used a communication website called menti.com, through which the audience’s answers could be shown directly on the presentation’s screen. In this way, almost like an instant survey, the organizer could know what kinds of worries and concerns the residents have about their town.
Questions answered by residents included “what buildings and infrastructure are critical to your community,” “what weather-related hazards can impact your community,” “name specific locations in communities that are vulnerable to natural hazards.”
Many residents answered that breakwaters can be built to mitigate risks against tides and storm surges. This raised interest to Kaplan as a priority. Other residents preferred improvement on “early warning to the public,” and “seawall repairs.”
More hazard mitigation plans and public hearings will be held, and more questions could be submitted to [email protected] or contact 4135860867.
