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City of Boston Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

The City of Boston has engaged the Metropolitian Area Planning Council (MAPC) to update the City's 2008 Hazard Mitigation Plan. This Plan presents a strategy for reducing the City's vulnerability to the impacts of natural hazard events such as flood and hurricanes.

Hazard Mitigation planning is a proactive effort to identify actions that can be taken to reduce the dangers to life and property from natural hazard events. These long-term strategies include planning, policy and regulation changes, educational programs, infrastructure projects, and other activities. The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires all municipalities that wish to be eligible to receive FEMA funding for hazard mitigation grants, to adopt a local multi-hazard mitigation plan and update this plan in five year intervals.

Public participation is an important part of this planning process and members of the Boston community are encouraged to submit comments and questions. If you are interested in finding out more, or would like to submit information regarding natural hazards impacting the City of Boston, please contact. Opportunities to participate are also listed in the timeline below. When a draft plan is available, it will be posted to this website.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the Hazard Mitigation Plan Update?: Hazard Mitigation planning is a proactive effort to identify actions that can be taken to reduce the dangers to life and property from natural hazard events. Boston adopted a hazard mitigation plan in 2008 and FEMA regulations require that the plan be updated every five years.
View 2008 Hazard Mitigation Plan

Why is this plan important?: The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires that a community have an approved hazard mitigation plan in order to qualify for federal funding from the following grant programs:
• Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive (PDM-C)
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
• Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)

What goes into a hazard mitigation plan?: A hazard mitigation plan assesses the community’s risks and vulnerabilities to natural hazard events such as flooding, hurricanes, winter storms, and earthquakes. MAPC uses statewide data and information directly from the community to make this assessment.
The plan includes a set of goals related to the overall goal of hazard mitigation planning, an assessment of existing mitigation measures, and a set of new mitigation measures that will serve to advance the plan goals. The plan update will also look at implementation progress that has been made on mitigation measures from the previous plan.

How can the public become involved in the Hazard Mitigation planning process?: Public participation is very important to the hazard mitigation planning process. FEMA requires a minimum of two public meetings. Comments may be submitted through this webpage and draft versions of the plan will be posted here for review and comment.

Timeline

April 18 – Public Meeting hosted by the Boston Conservation Commission at 6pm, Boston City Hall, Rm 801

TBD – Draft Boston Hazard Mitigation Plan Update available for public review

TBD – 2nd public meeting

Final Plan posted

Submission to MEMA for state review

Submission to FEMA for review

Adoption by Boston City Council

Boston Hazard Mitigation Plan 2008

City of Boston 2008 Hazard Mitigation Plan

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