On Monday, June 24, 2019, the Kick-Off Meeting was held to prepare for the 2020 Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.  The Commonwealth Law requires each County and each Municipality to maintain a Hazard Mitigation Plan or “HMP”.  This plan must be updated every five years.   The plan update has been undertaken under the direction of the Adams County Department of Emergency Services and the Department of Planning and Development with assistance from a Steering Committee.  Jeffery Harvey with JH Consulting, LLC has been contracted to lead the plan update. 

Our department applied for and received a grant through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to have the Hazard Mitigation Plan updated which saved the county about $30,000.00. 

We also have all of our 34 municipalities sign agreements to participate in the planning process for the plan update. 

The Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan has been granted approval by FEMA pending adoption status.  While this means that the plan is compliant, it cannot be fully “FEMA-Approved” until it is adopted by the municipalities and by the County. 

As specified by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000, Public Law 106-390), local political jurisdictions must adopt a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) to be eligible for federal hazard mitigation funds.  (Note: this differs from disaster relief funding under the Robert T. Stafford Act).  Without an approved HMP, your municipality and your citizens lose an exclusive opportunity to cost-effectively mitigate your community’s hazard risks. 

Attached is the Approved 2015 Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan. 

As we are going through this HMP Update, please check this page out for information regarding the process and progression of this update. 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact your municipal office.