The City of Costa Mesa is preparing a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan or LHMP. This plan will help create a safer community for residents, businesses, and visitors. The LHMP allows public safety officials, city staff, elected officials, and public members to understand the threats from natural and human-caused hazards in our community. The plan will also recommend specific actions to decrease these threats before disasters occur proactively.

Local Hazard Mitigation Public Review period begins September 19 to October 20, 2022.

Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Survey

Why have an LHMP?

An LHMP will allow Costa Mesa to better plan for future emergencies. After a disaster occurs, communities take steps to recover from the emergency event and rebuild. An LHMP is a way for the City to prepare in advance for disasters, so when they happen, less damage occurs, and recovery is more manageable. Our community can use LHMP strategies to reduce instances of property damage, injury, and loss of life from disasters. Besides protecting public health and safety, this approach can save money. Studies estimate that every dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of four dollars on response and recovery costs. An LHMP can also help strengthen the mission of public safety officers, such as police and fire department staff, providing them with clear roles and responsibilities to build a safer community.

Besides helping to protect Costa Mesa, our LHMP will make the City eligible for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to improve safety and preparedness in the community further and preparedness in the community. Having an adopted LHMP can also make Costa Mesa eligible to receive more financial assistance from the State when disasters occur.

What is in our LHMP?

The City of Costa Mesa LHMP will include four main sections:

• A summary of the natural and human-caused hazards that pose a risk to our community. This will include descriptions of past disaster events and the chances of these disasters occurring in the future.
• An assessment of the threat to Costa Mesa will describe how our community is vulnerable to future significant. The plan will examine the threat to important buildings and infrastructure, such as police and fire stations, hospitals, roads, and utility lines. It will also discuss the threat to community members, particularly vulnerable populations.
• A hazard mitigation strategy will lay out specific policy recommendations for Costa Mesa to carry out over the next five years. These recommendations will help reduce our community’s threat from hazard events.
• A section on maintaining the plan will help ensure that our LHMP is kept up-to-date. This will make it easier for us to continue proactively protecting ourselves and keep the City eligible for additional funding.

What hazards will our LHMP help protect against?

 The City plans to include the following natural hazards in our LHMP

• Aircraft Incident
• Dam Failure
• Drought
• Flooding
• Geologic Hazards
• Hazardous Materials Release
• Human-Caused Hazards
• Seismic Hazards

Our LHMP will also examine how climate change may affect these hazards and may include other risks that threaten our community.

How is our LHMP being prepared?

 The City has assembled a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC), which includes representatives from City departments and is supported by key stakeholders and technical consultants. Together, these participants form the project team responsible for guiding the overall development of our LHMP.

When will our LHMP be done?

 The project team plans to release a first draft of the Costa Mesa LHMP for public review in Fall 2022. After public members provide comments and feedback, the City will revise the plan and send it to the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA for review and approval. Once these agencies approve, the Costa Mesa City Council will adopt the final LHMP.  We hope to have the plan ready for adoption in Winter 2022, but it may be later, depending on how long state and federal review takes.

How can I get involved?

 You can get involved in helping us prepare our LHMP in different ways.

• The City will host public engagement opportunities to share information about our LHMP and obtain community feedback.
• The City released an online survey in early 2021 to public members asking for information about past experience with natural hazards and how our LHMP can be the most useful.
• The City has released a draft of the completed LHMP for public review. Please provide comments via email, phone, or in writing using the EXCEL spreadsheet link above.
• Costa Mesa City Council members will adopt and begin implementing the plan.
• Reach out to the project lead, Acting Emergency Services Manager Brenda Emrick (Brenda.Emrick@costamesaca.gov or (714) 327,-7406) for more ways to stay involved.

 What can I do now to be better prepared for disasters?

•  Know the hazards that may affect you at home, work, or school. You can find out more at http://myhazards.caloes.ca.gov/.
• Assemble an emergency kit for your home. In a disaster, you may have to rely on supplies in your emergency kit for at least three days. Be sure to include supplies for pets and anyone in your home with special needs. Learn more at https://www.ready.gov/kit.
• Have a disaster plan for your household, including how people should contact each other if a disaster occurs and where you should meet.
• Learn about your neighbors and how to help them. In a disaster, emergency responders may not be able to reach your neighborhood for a while. Know if your neighbors have any special needs, and check on them as soon as possible.
• Make sure your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance covers you from disasters such as earthquakes and floods. Good insurance coverage can help you recover easier.
• Volunteer with an emergency response or community service organization that does work on disaster education and preparation.
• Speak to your employer about creating a disaster recovery, workforce communication, or business continuity plan. If they already have one or more of these plans, make sure you and your co-workers know.
• Join Costa Mesa CERT, a group of volunteers trained by the City to assist emergency responders during disasters. Training is free and offered at times throughout the year.