Introduction
Butte County is partnering with the incorporated communities of Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville and Paradise, along with the Butte County Office of Education and numerous special districts to update their 2019 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). Floods, drought, wildfires, and severe weather are just a few of the hazards of concern to Butte County. While natural hazards such as these cannot be prevented, a LHMP forms the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses by breaking the repeated cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction. Communities with a FEMA-approved LHMP are eligible to apply for both pre- and post-disaster mitigation grant funding.
The LHMP development process will include the formation of a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC) consisting of representatives of local jurisdictions as well as community stakeholders. The HMPC will meet regularly throughout the development process which will conclude with FEMA approval of the LHMP in fall of 2024. HMPC meetings are open to the public for those interested in taking a more active role in the development process; however, public meetings will also be held, in an effort to provide general updates on the development process and to receive public input.