Although natural hazards such as tornados, flooding, extreme temperatures, and wind storms cannot be prevented, local communities can mitigate the impacts of these hazards by appropriately planning for them and initiating public discussion.

In order to be eligible for pre or post-disaster mitigation funding, the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires local governments to prepare a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan which identifies strategies to minimize the impacts of natural hazards. Estral Beach Village, located along the coast of Lake Erie, has experienced a fair share of natural disasters over the past century, most notably coastal flooding. Recognizing the importance of maintaining eligibility for funding from FEMA, the Village, with the assistance of Carlisle/Wortman, completed a Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies strategies for reducing the impacts of the following natural hazards:
• Flooding
• Severe Thunderstorms
• Severe Wind
• Tornado
• Winter Storms
• Extreme Temperatures
• Drought
• Earthquake

The Hazard Mitigation Planning process began with the formation of a planning team and a presentation to the Village Council. A questionnaire was also sent out to Estral Beach residents which asked them to list and rank the natural hazards they believe had the biggest impact on the community. Development of the Hazard Mitigation Plan required the assistance of personnel from key departments at the Village, State and Federal levels, including the Village Fire and Building Departments, Michigan State Police – Emergency Management & Homeland Security department, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Hazard Mitigation Plan provides strategies to minimize the impacts of natural hazards and ultimately protect property values, the environment, infrastructure and the health of Estral Beach residents. The main components of the Hazard Mitigation Plan include:
• Community profile;
• Vulnerability assessment;
• Natural hazard prioritization;
• Goals and objectives;
• Hazard mitigation strategies;
• Action, implementation and monitoring plan.

The Estral Beach Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved by FEMA and adopted by the Village Council in 2015, enabling the Village to receive pre-disaster mitigation funding, most notably house-raising grants.