Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan

2020 Maui County Hazard Mitigation Plan

Maui County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, August 2020

In August of 2020 the County of Maui formally adopted its Updated Hazard Mitigation Plan (The Plan). FEMA’s Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 states, “DMA 2000 (Public Law 106-390) provides the legal basis for FEMA mitigation planning requirements for State, Local and Indian Tribal governments as a condition of mitigation grant assistance” (FEMA.Gov). DMA 2000 amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act https://www.fema.gov/disaster/stafford-act by replacing them with a new set of requirements that emphasize the need for State, Local, and Indian Tribal entities to closely coordinate mitigation planning and implementation efforts.

The County of Maui created this Plan as part of an ongoing effort to reduce the negative impacts and costs from damages associated with natural hazards, such as floods, hurricanes, and sea level rise. More importantly, the Plan was created to reduce loss of life, land, and property damages due to natural hazards that affect the County of Maui. It is difficult to predict when natural hazards will impact the planning area, but it is accurate to say that they will. By implementing the mitigation actions listed in this Plan, the impact of natural hazards will be lessened. Local Mitigation Plans must be updated at least once every five years in order to remain eligible for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Project Grant funding. The next update will begin in the Summer of 2024, in order to be approved by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This current plan serves as an update to the 2015 County of Maui Hazard Mitigation Plan. 

The Plan is consistent with the Maui County General Plan and provides a policy framework for the nine community plans. The process of plan implementation and maintenance was amended from the 2015 Plan to reflect the priority of integrating this Plan throughout County departments.

The measure of the Plan’s success will be its ability to adapt to changing conditions. Maui County will assume responsibility for adopting the recommendations of this Plan and committing resources toward implementation. Maui County developed this Plan with extensive public input, and public support of the actions identified in this Plan and will help ensure the Plan’s success.

The Maui County Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and the Hazard Mitigation Officer will have lead responsibility for overseeing the implementation and maintenance of the Hazard Mitigation Plan and will organize and lead the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is a volunteer body that oversees the development and implementation of mitigation actions. 

 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Purpose and Goals

The Maui Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan is a master plan for the County that identifies the hazards and risks posed by natural and technological disasters, identifies hazard mitigation actions and activities to reduce losses from such disasters, and establishes priorities and a long-term sustained process to implement those actions.

This plan focuses on mitigating hazards to critical facilities and special populations or areas. Critical facilities include those public and private facilities that need to be operational during and after a hazard event to meet public health and safety needs and to speed economic recovery.

The goal of the Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) is to save lives and property through the reduction of hazard vulnerability for the community. During the course of the update planning project, local leaders and the community worked in tandem to identify risks, assess capabilities, and formulated a strategy to reduce disaster vulnerability.

The Plan is intended to integrate with the Counties planning mechanisms already in place, such as building and zoning regulations, environmental planning, and long-range planning mechanisms. The planning process included conducting a thorough hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA), creating community disaster mitigation priorities, and creating subsequent mitigation actions and projects for Maui County.

 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Actions

Appendix D, starting on page 889 of the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan documents the fifty actions that were selected through the Plan process.  

Mitigation Actions Attributed to Each Goal Statement:
Resilience, Property, People, Implementation and Education.

Mitigation Actions for Each Natural Hazard:
Drought, Flood, Coastal Erosion, Extreme Cold, Dam/Reservoir Failure, Extreme Heat, Earthquake, High Windstorm, Hurricane, Landslide, Tsunamis, Wildfire, Volcanic Hazards, Hazardous Materials and Health Risks.

Mitigation Actions Sorted by Lead Department:
Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Department of Water Supply, Department of Public Works (DPW), Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Fire Prevention Bureau, Mayor’s Office and the Planning Department.

In each section the Actions are listed by Action #, Mitigation Action, Implementation Priority (High, Medium, Low), Lead Departments, Supporting Agencies, Timeline and Cost (Very High, High, Medium, Low). 

Appendix D also includes for the Mitigation Actions with each Natural Hazard a breakdown of Strengths, Weaknesses, Obstacles and Opportunities. These allow for communities, government entities, private-non-profits, businesses, health care and many others the ability to work together to form partnerships and generate ideas that will help the county be more resilient in the near future and in the long range.

Funding for Hazard Mitigation 

There are five competitive grant opportunities that the County of Maui can submit applications to because we maintain the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan as the Federal Government requires. 

Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program (HMPG) – Is the grant that is used to update the Hazard Mitigation Plan every five years. It also is used to mitigate future disaster loss and is available after a presidentially declared disaster. 

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) – Communities can undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards. The guiding principles are supporting communities through capability- and capacity-building; encouraging and enabling innovation; promoting partnerships; enabling large projects; maintaining flexibility; and providing consistency.

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) - Funds can be used for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA chooses recipients based on the applicant’s ranking of the project and the eligibility and cost-effectiveness of the project.

HMGP Post Fire Assistance (FMAG Post Fire) - Wildfires can destroy homes, businesses, infrastructure, natural resources, and agriculture. They can also increase secondary hazards and leave areas prone to floods, erosion, and mudflows for many years. FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) has Post Fire assistance available to help communities implement hazard mitigation measures after wildfire disasters.

Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) - Implementing one of the 100 Congressional Community Projects that prioritize sustainable & cost-effective measures to reduce risk and/or reliance on federal disaster funding. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 authorizes funding for these projects. 

Go to https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation and https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/hazard-mitigation-grants/, for more information on Grant Funding Opportunities. 

Mitigation News and Updates

The Maui Emergency Management Agency was awarded a Hazard Mitigation Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency with the assistance from the State of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to develop a Mitigation Website that is user friendly and explains the Maui County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan in an easy and fun way to learn about mitigation and the benefits it can provide

For every $1.00 spent on Mitigation efforts, you save $6.00 in cost of damages in a natural disaster. The Website explains the different projects that a resident and business can do to protect their families and property and it includes a data base of hazards and risks that is interactive so that you can see what hazards may affect you. 

The website is scheduled to go live in the fall of 2023 and will be announced on this page, social media and news outlets. 

For more information regarding the HMP please email Gina Albanese, Maui County Hazard Mitigation Officer.