2024 Five-Year Update

Onondaga County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan

The Onondaga County Department of Planning is leading the 2024 five year update of the Onondaga County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan for the County and its municipalities.

The Plan was originally adopted by the Onondaga County Legislature and participating municipalities in 2013, and updated in 2019.

Hazard mitigation, or pre-disaster planning, provides an opportunity to identify key local actions to be taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from natural hazards. It is also a wise investment because FEMA cites that every $1 spent on hazard mitigation before a natural disaster impacts a community saves $6 on future disaster losses.

The primary hazards of concern to Onondaga County identified in the 2019 update include drought, earthquake, flooding, geological hazards (i.e., landslide, land subsidence, mudboils), harmful algal blooms, invasive species and infestation, severe storms, and winter storms. The 2024 update will also likely include extreme heat and wildfire as new hazards of concern.

Ultimately, this Plan will identify mitigation projects and actions that will be implemented to reduce vulnerability and enable communities to become more resilient to disasters. The Federal Government requires local and state governments to have a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan, as established by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, in order to qualify for hazard mitigation assistance grant funds. These programs are critical sources of Federal funding, especially for a community that intends to proactively initiate mitigation projects using mitigation grant dollars.

Survey

Onondaga County residents and businesses can also help the County update its Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan and other emergency preparedness plans by participating in a voluntary online survey. Feedback from the confidential 10-minute survey will enable Onondaga County and its municipalities to better serve residents and businesses before, during, and after an emergency or disaster.

Those who live or work in Onondaga County are encouraged to share their experiences, knowledge, and concerns about local hazards by participating in the brief public survey. To complete the survey, please go to: s.alchemer.com/s3/OnondagaCountyMJHMPSurvey.

Information provided in Onondaga County’s community preparedness survey will help the County and local communities create strategies and implement actions to reduce future risk of death, injuries, and property damage from hazards. The public will also have an opportunity to review and provide comments on the draft Plan before it is submitted to the State of New York and FEMA for review.

Public Meeting

A Public Meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. in the Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management Training Room located at 420 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool, NY. Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting to ask questions and learn more about hazard mitigation.