Upcoming EPA Webinar: Hazard Mitigation – Why Now?

Key Takeaways

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a free webinar on hazard mitigation with a goal of increasing funding for the water sector to mitigate the damage from natural disasters. The webinar will be held on Thursday, December 10 from 1:00p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

Facilitated by EPA’s Water Security Division, the agency will use analyses of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) funding data to provide data-driven advice and insights for utilities to apply for funding. The webinar will also feature how EPA’s Hazard Mitigation Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities can help utilities develop mitigation projects and get FEMA funding. Lastly, EPA will present how its newly revised federal funding tool (Fed FUNDs) can help utilities get mitigation funding from a variety of federal agencies. Speakers will include:

• A State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO) who will discuss FEMA’s new funding under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and how utilities can benefit
• A water utility speaker and SHMO staff who will discuss how they worked together to successfully obtain mitigation funding for emergency generators to address past flooding and power outage issues

Counties play an essential role in hazard mitigation planning and building resilient communities. Hurricanes, wildfires, economic collapse and other disasters can be natural or man-made, acute or long-term, foreseeable or unpredictable. Preparation for and recovery from such events requires both long-term planning and immediate action. Through the Resilient Counties Initiative, NACo works to strengthen county resiliency by building leadership capacity to identify and manage risk and allow counties to become more flexible and responsive.