The George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC; Virginia Planning District 16), in partnership with the City of Fredericksburg, the Counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford, and the Towns of Bowling Green and Port Royal, along with the Rappahannock Tribe, is updating the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan (http://www.gwregion.org/hmp). The purpose of the Plan is to identify hazards, ranging from wildfires to flooding to ice storms, that threaten the Region and its communities, and determine and prioritize strategies to lessen the impacts of future hazards on people and property. The Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan is an important tool for the region’s localities in reducing the risks and impacts to communities from hazards.
A critical component of the Plan update process is receiving input from members of the public, specifically those who live and work in the region. Accordingly, the Project Management Team has recently released a Public Survey to seek out public opinions and perspectives regarding the hazards that impact local communities. The survey is accessible online via this link: https://arcg.is/09TzP80. In addition, hardcopies of the survey will also be available at the GWRC Offices, 406 Princess Anne Street.
“To determine how best to lessen the impacts of future hazards on our communities, we must learn from the experiences of our residents, business owners, and other stakeholders. How have past hazards impacted their lives, what concerns do they have about our vulnerabilities to future hazards? Asking these questions and ensuring that we receive input from all of those in our region, including our most vulnerable populations, will work to make this Plan relevant, making our localities safer for everyone.”
– Chip Boyles, GWRC Executive Director
Hazard mitigation plans are required by federal regulations to be updated every five (5) years in order to remain eligible for certain Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants, programs, and disaster relief funds. The GWRC Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan was last updated in 2017, and the 2022 update is expected to be completed this fall with approval by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and FEMA. The project to update the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan is largely funded through a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant, awarded as the result of a successful application submitted by GWRC.
For any questions or additional information, you may contact the project team at [email protected]
Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact the GWRC at (540) 642-1579 or [email protected].
Las personas que requieren alojamiento especial de acuerdo con el Americans with Disabilities Act, o personas que requieren servicios de traducción (libre de cargo) deben comunicarse con la GWRC al (540) 642-1579 o [email protected].
