FEMA Approves Colorado's Updated Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan

The Colorado Division of Emergency Management (CDEM) is pleased to announce that FEMA approved the updated State of Colorado Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan on January 3, 2011.  State-level hazard mitigation plans have to be updated every three years to maintain statewide eligibility for FEMA's hazard mitigation grant programs, Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants, and certain types of post-disaster Public Assistance.

CDEM's Mitigation team, in partnership with local jurisdictions, state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations, worked since March 2010 to review and revise the previous version of this plan.  Updates include a revised comprehensive Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, an evaluation of actions taken by the State to reduce risk over the past 3 years, an entirely new mitigation action plan for the State and a new Colorado Rural Electric Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.  In addition, the Colorado Water Conservation Board managed the updates for the Colorado Drought Mitigation and Response Plan and the Flood Mitigation Plan for Colorado, which both serve as supporting documents for this plan.  The Colorado State Forest Service coordinated an update to the Colorado Wildfire Mitigation Plan.  Each of these plans helps Colorado to continue and to strengthen efforts to reduce vulnerability from hazards to people, property and infrastructure.

CDEM would like to express gratitude to all who helped throughout the planning process.  These stakeholders include local emergency managers, non-profits, State agency partners and Federal partners.

Colorado Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan
-- Cover and TOC
-- Executive Summary
-- Prerequisite
-- Section 1 – Plan Process
-- Section 2 – Colorado Overview
-- Section 3 – Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
-- Section 4 – Capabilities Assessment
-- Section 5 – Mitigation Strategies
-- Section 6 – Counties, Communities and Tribes
-- Section 7 – Plan Maintenance
-- Appendix A – Plan Process Documentation
-- Appendix B – State Asset Exposure Loss by Hazard
-- Appendix C – Regional Socioeconomic Profiles
-- Appendix D – Evaluation of Previous Mitigation Actions

-- Colorado Rural Electric Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan
-- Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan for Colorado
-- Colorado Drought Mitigation and Response Plan
-- Colorado Wildfire Mitigation Plan

If you have any questions or comments related to the plan, please forward them either to Ken Brink (kenneth.brink@state.co.us) or Iain Hyde (iain.hyde@state.co.us).

We are extremely grateful to our partners who helped to develop this plan!