Hazard Mitigation Plan

Overview

The 2023 Prince George’s County and City of Laurel Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) is an actionable, FEMA-approved plan. The purpose of the HMP is to identify natural hazard risk within the planning area, understand what matters most to residents, and develop a long-term strategy for protecting communities. The overall goal of mitigation planning is to break out of the cycle of sustaining disaster damage and rebuilding, only for the process to start again.

The HMP represents the County and City’s commitment to reducing risks from natural hazards. Local officials can refer to the plan in their day-to-day activities when making decisions regarding regulations, ordinances, permits, outreach, and funding for capital improvements and other community initiatives. Additionally, the HMP may help the State of Maryland prioritize future grant funding as it becomes available.

The Prince George’s County and City of Laurel HMP will continue to be a useful tool for all community stakeholders by increasing public awareness about local hazard risks and providing information about options and resources available to reduce those risks. Educating the public about potential hazards will help the jurisdiction protect itself against the effects of future hazards and will enable informed decision making regarding where to live, purchase property, or locate business.

The Hazard Mitigation Planning Process

The hazard mitigation planning process is a collaborative effort involving participation from County and City officials, community residents, community stakeholders, state officials, and hazard mitigation experts. The process involves five steps:

Step 1: Organize the Planning Process and Resources

Prince George’s County and the City of Laurel Departments of Emergency Management convened a joint, multi-jurisdictional Mitigation Advisory Committee to lead the development of the HMP. The Committee formally met four times during the planning process and worked closely with Dewberry Engineers, Inc. to develop the 2023 HMP.

Step 2: Assess Risks and Vulnerabilities From Natural Hazards

Threats and hazards are assessed by comparing the experienced frequency of the event versus the potential impact that may result. Such events can occur on an annual basis or at random. It is also important to note that not every threat and hazardous event causes notable damage, loss or property, or loss of life.

To identify the threats and hazards affecting Prince George's County and the City of Laurel, the Mitigation Advisory Committee reviewed the Prince George’s County 2023 Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (THIRA/SPR). There are three parts to the threat and hazard identification and risk assessment:

Identify which hazard could affect Prince George’s County and the City of Laurel.
Profile hazard events and determine what areas and community assets are the most vulnerable to damage from these hazards.
Estimate losses and prioritize the potential risks to the community.

Step 3: Assess Community Capabilities to Implement Hazard Mitigation Actions

The capability assessment of the HMP evaluates the current capacity of Prince George's County and the City of Laurel to mitigate the adverse effects of the natural hazards identified in the THIRA/SPR. By providing a summary of each jurisdiction's existing capabilities, the capabilities assessment serves as the foundation for designing effective hazard mitigation strategies.

Step 4: Develop a Mitigation Strategy

Based on the results of the THIRA/SPR and the capability assessment, the Mitigation Advisory Committee develops goals and objectives for the HMP. These goals and objectives included:

Increase public education and awareness of natural hazard risks to people and private property, and promote current and new opportunities to participate in mitigation planning.
Prevent future climate-related damages and losses to communities, critical facilities, and natural resources through ordinances, policies, and plans aligned with regional and state resilience and equity goals.
Implement structural projects that mitigate the risks of natural hazards to people, infrastructure, and environmental assets while equitably distributing project benefits.
Integrate hazard mitigation into regular staff training and responsibilities to improve capabilities and ensure climate adaptation is adequately considered and addressed in county/city actions.

Each mitigation action for the County and City were developed based on past damages, existing risk and vulnerabilities, community input, and current capabilities. The STAPLEE criteria methodology was used to capture these values consistently. It allows for the Mitigation Advisory Committee to take social, technical, administrative, political, legal, economic, and environmental considerations into account when reviewing potential actions for inclusion in the mitigation strategy.

Step 5: Adopt and Implement the Plan

The HMP identifies procedures for implementing and maintaining the HMP as a living document that continuously guides actions within Prince George’s County and the City of Laurel. The County and City will submit a 5-year written update to the State and FEMA Region III, unless a disaster or other circumstances leads to a different time frame. In the interim, the HMP will be integrated into county plans, municipal plans, and other documents as applicable, and the Committee will hold an annual meeting to evaluate and monitor progress.

To view the plan in its entirety, please click here: Hazard Mitigation Plan 2023 (PDF).