Natural hazards have the potential to cause property loss, loss of life, economic hardship, and threats to public health and safety. While an important aspect of emergency management deals with disaster recovery (i.e., those actions that a community must take to repair damages and make itself whole in the wake of a natural disaster), an equally important aspect of emergency management involves hazard mitigation.

Hazard mitigation actions are efforts taken before a disaster happens to lessen the impact that future disasters of that type will have on people and property in the community. They are things you do today to be more protected in the future. Hazard mitigation actions taken in advance of a hazard event are essential to breaking the typical disaster cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. With careful selection, hazard mitigation actions can be long-term, cost-effective means of reducing the risk of loss and help create a more disaster-resistant and sustainable community.

A hazard mitigation plan is a well-organized and well-documented evaluation of the hazards that a jurisdiction is susceptible to, and the extent to which these events will occur. Hazard mitigation plans identify an area’s vulnerability to the effects of the hazards, as well as the goals, objectives, and actions required for minimizing future loss of life, injury, property damage, and economic disruption as a result of hazard events.

A hazard mitigation plan is developed BEFORE a disaster strikes. The plan identifies community policies, actions, and tools for long-term implementation to reduce risk and potential for future losses. Adopted, implemented and maintained on an ongoing basis, the plan will gradually, but steadily, lessen the impacts associated with hazard events in your community.

Under the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000), as of November 1, 2004 communities that do not have a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan in place are no longer eligible for FEMA project grant monies under long standing programs such as the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and the Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC).

A major focus of this plan will be to identify effective mitigation projects and realistic implementation strategies, including identifying potential funding streams. This includes projects that may be eligible for federal funding through FEMA grants or other federal sources, as well as to projects that may not qualify for federal funding but are still important to a community. This planning process will help lay the groundwork for implementation of both federally fundable and non-federally fundable mitigation projects.

In addition to identifying effective mitigation projects, a plan will also assist your community in the following ways:

• Increased understanding of hazards and risk your community faces;
• Eligibility for federal funds for pre-disaster mitigation planning under DMA 2000;
• Developing partnerships that support planning and mitigation efforts and may offer potential financial savings, including: reduced flood insurance premiums, broader resources for funding of mitigation projects, and enhanced benefit-cost ratios;
• Enhanced coordination of hazard mitigation with comprehensive planning and zoning;
• Development of more sustainable and disaster-resistant communities; and
• Reduced long-term impacts and damages to human health and structures, and reduced repair costs.

• Proactive mitigation leads to the development of sustainable, cost-effective projects. In contrast, reactive mitigation tends to yield “quick-fix” alternatives that may cost much and accomplish little. Proactive mitigation is also far more cost-effective than paying to clean up and rebuild after disasters happen. Danger to population and damage to property can be reduced if the region evaluates where and how disasters may occur and takes steps to reduce those risks.

Somerset County previously participated in the 2019 Hazard Mitigation Plan with 23 of its jurisdictions, including the North Plainfield Board of Education and Somerset Raritan Valley Sewage Authority (SRVSA). Somerset County and participating jurisdictions are developing an updated multi-jurisdictional plan to prepare a more detailed risk assessment and specific mitigation strategy to support future risk reduction and project implementation.

Resident and stakeholder participation is a vital part of the hazard mitigation planning process. We will continue to update this site with ways you can keep informed and engaged in the Somerset County HMP. Keep checking the engagement section below regularly for information on planning progress, to take our survey, and to review and comment on the draft plan.

The planning process will follow the following seven phases through to project implementation. This includes several key steps:

• Organize the planning partnership and steering committee.
• Research a full range of natural hazards.
• Identify the most significant hazards (the ones that present the most risk to the County); these will be the focus of the plan.
• Identify the location and extent of hazard areas.
• Identify assets located within hazard areas.
• Characterize existing and potential future assets at risk by analyzing land uses and development trends.
• Assess vulnerabilities to the identified hazards.
• Identify local, state, and federal capabilities that support hazard mitigation.
• Develop a mitigation strategy by evaluating and prioritizing goals, objectives, and hazard mitigation actions.
• Adopt the plan.
• Implement the plan and monitor its progress.

While natural disasters cannot be prevented from occurring, the continued implementation of our hazard mitigation plan over the long-term will gradually, but steadily, lessen the impacts associated with hazard events in our region.

 Emergency Services Training Academy
402 Roycefield Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844

Members of the public are invited to attend this meeting to learn about the Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), including what the plan is, what it entails, and how the County is working to keep the public notified and involved throughout the planning process.

An interactive StoryMap is being developed to provide information regarding the HMP process and provide an opportunity for virtual public participation.  We invite you to visit once available.

Public Survey:  Somerset County developed a Public Preparedness Survey to assist in providing the public an outlet to contribute to the HMP update. Thank you for participating in this important initiative by providing us with your anonymous survey contribution. Please visit the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SomersetNJ_PublicSurvey

Stakeholder Survey: As part of the HMP update planning process we are engaging stakeholders and are looking for your assistance (i.e., utilities, transportation, business/commerce, emergency services, health/medical).  Please consider taking the stakeholder survey so we may collect input in terms of capabilities, vulnerabilities, and potential projects.  Please visit the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SomersetNJ_StakeholderSurvey  

Neighbor Survey:  As part of the HMP update planning process, we are engaging our neighboring communities and counties.  The effects of natural disasters may be similar in your county and your involvement in this process could reap mutual benefits. By participating in the review of this plan, you will be engaging in the regional coordination of disaster mitigation planning, which is one of the intents of the Mitigation Planning Regulations (44 CFR 201). Please visit the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SomersetNJ_NeighborSurvey