Hazard mitigation plan thwarts Mother Nature

Estral Beach Village, on the shores of Lake Erie, had already endured flooding, both along the lake and its tributaries. Leaders knew they needed to get ahead of future problems and didn’t see the answers in the state or county hazard mitigation plans so they used a $10,000 grant to hire Carlisle/Wortman Associates to develop their own plan.Beyond flooding, the planning process investigated all the possible hazards the community might face -- tornados, extreme weather, power outages and even earthquakes – and used a quantitative system to prioritize them.The process resulted in four goals:

1. Reduce risks by improving local planning and regulations.
2. Reduce exposure to natural hazards through structural and infrastructural activities, improvements and projects.
3. Reduce impacts through warning, response and recovery activities implemented during and after a disaster.
4. Improve public education and awareness regarding natural hazard preparation, response and recovery.

The plan goes beyond ways to recover from a disaster. It focuses on preventive mitigation through public education, wise decision making and disaster-resistant building and development practices.While flooding remained the top risk for Estral Beach Village, some of the prescribed actions will help with other possible dangers:

• Debris clearing
• Emergency responder training
• Public information campaigns
• Master plan updates
• Code enforcement

The village also recognized it needed backup generators for pump houses, air conditioning and a backup power generator at city hall and NOAA weather radios.For more information about Carlisle/Wortman Associates’s hazard plan services, contact John Enos: jenos@cwaplan.com, 734-662-2200.Resources:

• Estral Beach Hazard Mitigation Plan
• FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Handbook