Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

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

Why have an LHMP?

An LHMP will help Laguna Beach better plan for future emergencies. Usually, after a disaster occurs, communities take steps to recover from the emergency and rebuild. An LHMP is a way for the City to better prepare in advance for these disasters so less damage occurs and recovery is easier when they do occur. 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 protect Laguna Beach, our LHMP will make the City eligible for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that can be used to further improve safety and preparedness in the community. Having an adopted LHMP can also make Laguna Beach eligible to receive more financial assistance from the State when disasters occur.

What is in our LHMP?

The City of Laguna Beach LHMP includes 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 Laguna Beach, which will describe how our community is vulnerable to future disasters. 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 examine the threat to community members, particularly vulnerable populations.
• A hazard mitigation strategy, which will lay out specific policy recommendations for Laguna Beach to carry out over the next five years. These recommendations will help reduce the threat that our community faces from hazard events.
• A section on maintaining the plan, which 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:

• Coastal Hazards
• Disease and Pest Management
• Extreme Weather
• Flood
• Hazardous Materials Release
• Human-Caused Hazards
• Landslide/Mudflow
• Seismic Hazards
• Wildfire
• Climate Change

Our LHMP will also examine how climate change may affect these hazards and include other hazards 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 Laguna Beach LHMP for public review in the Summer of 2023. After members of the public 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 approved by these agencies, the Laguna Beach City Council will adopt the final LHMP. We hope to have the plan ready for adoption by the end of Summer 2023, but it may be later, depending on how long state and federal review takes.

How can I get involved?

You can get involved in preparing our LHMP in different ways.

• The City will have public engagement opportunities to share information about our LHMP and obtain community feedback. Public meetings will be held on June 28, 2023, from 12 pm – 1 pm and 5 pm - 6 pm at City Council Chambers (505 Forest Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651).
• The City is conducting an online survey to members of the public, asking for information about past experience with natural hazards and how our LHMP can be the most useful. Please take our survey here, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
• The City will release a draft of the completed LHMP for public review. Please review and provide comments on this document, either at in-person meetings or in writing.
• Encourage members of the Laguna Beach City Council to adopt the plan and begin implementing it.
• Reach out to the project team leader, Brendan Manning, at bmanning@lagunabeachcity.net 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 any 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. If these disasters occur, having good insurance coverage will 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, and/or business continuity plan. If they already have one or more of these plans in place, make sure you and your co-workers know it.
• Join Laguna Beach 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.  Click here for more information.