Description
To address the increasing risks associated with climate change and extreme weather events, Westminster will develop flooding, drought, winter storms and heat appendices to the Hazard Mitigation Plan that identify and describe actions to reduce the impacts to residents and businesses from weather or other catastrophic events.
This strategy also includes defining and implementing targeted actions to improve community resilience, such as identifying a reliable network of resources available and raising awareness about how to use them in an emergency, ensuring back-up power at key facilities and cooling centers for people without a functional cooling system, publicizing these key facilities’ locations and establishing clear and redundant lines of communication that are recognizable to community members so they can respond accordingly.
Finally, the city will consider employing safe development practices, such as locating or relocating structures outside of floodplains, preserving natural land as buffers and protecting existing development from extreme weather.
Components
- Coordinate on the Hazard Mitigation Plan development to include flooding and heat events as new appendices or chapters.
- Identify local, county and state resources that can be tapped in times of crisis or extreme weather conditions as safe spaces.
- Explore and pursue opportunities with the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) to conduct neighborhood resilience trainings.
- Coordinate with organizations that manage these resources related to best and highest uses, when and how to mobilize or make resources accessible and process alignment.
- Evaluate and prioritize the need for emergency back-up power at key city facilities
- Develop a clear communications plan with appropriate messaging and channels so that residents, including even hard-to-reach populations are informed about emergency resources.
- Educate businesses and neighborhoods on resilience planning and practices (e.g. contingency planning, disaster preparation).