The Fayette County Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is currently in the process of forming a Hazard Mitigation Team for Fayette County. This team will be responsible for formulating a Hazard Mitigation Plan for all hazards in and around Fayette County.

A hazard Mitigation Plan is a community’s outline for evaluating hazards, identifying resources and capabilities, selecting appropriate actions, and developing and implementing mitigation measures to eliminate or reduce further damage from those hazards in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents in that community. It is the vision of FEMA to hopefully find cost effective measures to help prevent repetitive disasters from occurring time and time again. Each local municipality will perform a crucial role in the success of this plan. A Hazard Vulnerability Analysis preformed at the municipal level will ensure a detailed report of all hazards faced by our county. These hazards can include anything from blocked culverts that may cause flooding to dealing with heavy snowfalls. In addition to the HVA, recommendations on how to prevent or lesson to effects of those listed hazards will prove vital to the plan.

1: HAZARD EVALUATION

What hazards are you and your community most worried about?

2: HAZARD EXPOSURE PROFILE

What is potentially at risk in your community should a disaster occur?

3: HAZARD VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS (HVA)

The process of evaluating risk associated with a specific hazard and defined

In terms of probability and frequency of occurrence, magnitude and severity,

exposure and consequences.

Upon completion of the plan it will need to be reviewed and adopted by each municipality through the municipalities normal chain of authorization. Effective November 2004, any community which is effected by a disaster whether it be natural, man made, or technological, must have an updated Hazard Mitigation Plan in place to receive federal aid in the form of monies or loans.