Planning now for the water that comes later
Groton is nearing completion of its updated Hazard Mitigation Plan — the town’s long-range blueprint for standing up to floods and severe storms, and for getting back on its feet afterward.
The capacity to recover quickly, adapt, and bounce back from tough situations, hardships, or stress. Resilience
In a community, resiliency is being able to withstand an event such as flooding, meteorological events, or climate-related disasters, and returning the community to pre-event status. Resiliency is also about opportunities for community reorganization and renewal of the disrupted systems following the disturbance. One of the ways US states prepare for recovery from disasters is by writing and updating Hazard Mitigation Plans.
Why the plan gets updated
Groton is nearing completion of its updates to the Town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. FEMA requires that every state update its hazard mitigation plan every five years as a condition for receiving non-emergency assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988. This Act is the core U.S. federal law that governs how the government provides disaster and emergency assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
Who is writing it
Hazard mitigation is most effective when it is based on a comprehensive, long-term mitigation plan that is developed before a disaster. Groton public safety and DPW personnel, as well as other local security personnel and members of the public, have been working with Horsley Witten consultants to update our Hazard Mitigation Plan.
A public hearing is coming
The plan will be presented to interested Groton residents at a public hearing in the near future. Public comments will be welcomed at that time.