Multi-Hazard Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan Update for the County of Hawaii

The current Hazard Mitigation Plan developed by the County of Hawai’i was completed in May 2015 and quickly approved by FEMA in June 2015. The scope of work for this update included significant plan enhancements to provide the County a better gauge of risk, vulnerability, and appropriate mitigation actions. In an effort to improve the quality and consistency of planning, HHF Planners with Martin & Chock, implemented (FEMA) plan integration guidance which evaluates plans and policies across disciplines and agencies within a community by considering the potential of hazards as one of the key factors in future development. This focused on introducing informational elements from the hazard mitigation plan into the Hawai‘i County General Plan, which was simultaneously being updated by the County.

The guiding objective of integrating hazard mitigation into the local comprehensive plan was to establish hazard resilience as an overarching value of the community and provide the opportunity to continuously manage development in a way that does not lead to increased hazard vulnerability.

We worked with the County of Hawai‘i Planning Department in reviewing all sections of the previous General Plan and provided recommended revisions to more accurately capture the County’s position on addressing potential hazards with regard to the local regulation of land use. Key sections included Economy, Energy, Natural Hazards, Housing, Public Facilities, Public Utilities, Transportation, and Land Use.