Item:
Title
Adopt the Emergency Services Resolution for the 2025 Eno-Haw Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: August 11, 2025
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to adopt the resolution for the 2025 Eno-Haw Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan is reviewed annually and updated every five years to assure compliance with all State and Federal regulations and that any needed revisions or amendments are developed and presented to the BOCC for approval. The plan is a multi-jurisdictional plan covering Alamance, Durham, Orange, and Person Counties.
The citizens and property within Durham County are subject to the effects of natural hazards that pose threats to lives and cause damage to property. The plan incorporates knowledge and experience that certain areas of the region are particularly vulnerable to drought, excessive heat, hurricanes and coastal hazards, thunderstorm, tornado, winter weather, flooding, wildfire, hazardous substances, cyber threat, terrorism, and infrastructure failure. Planning is one of the best ways to develop a customized program that will mitigate the impacts of hazards while accounting for the unique character of a community.
A well-prepared hazard mitigation plan will ensure that all possible activities are reviewed and implemented so that the problem is addressed by the most appropriate and efficient solutions. It can also ensure that activities are coordinated with each other and with other goals and activities, preventing conflicts and reducing the costs of implementing each individual activity. This plan provides a framework for all interested parties to work together toward mitigation. It establishes the vision and guiding principles for reducing hazard risk and proposes specific mitigation actions to eliminate or reduce identified vulnerabilities.
In an effort to reduce the nation's mounting natural disaster losses, the U.S. Congress passed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) to invoke new and revitalized approaches to mitigation planning. Section 322 of DMA 2000 emphasizes the need for state and local government entities to closely coordinate mitigation planning activities and makes the development of a hazard mitigation plan a specific eligibility requirement for any local government applying for federal mitigation grant funds.
The City and County has performed a comprehensive review and evaluation of each section of the previously approved Hazard Mitigation Plan and has updated the said plan as required under regulations at 44 CFR Part 201 and according to guidance issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. The primary revisions for Durham identify some new hazard mitigation strategies related to stormwater management, facilities hardening measures, and land use, as outlined in Table 7.11 on Page 396.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This item aligns with Durham County’s Strategic Goal: Safe and Resilient Community.
Resource Persons: Elizabeth Schroeder, Office of Emergency Services - Emergency Management, Chief Emergency Manager; Jinizha Johnson, Emergency Management Planner
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board adopt the resolution for the 2025 Eno-Haw Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________