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The Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services (OES), in conjunction
with many of the incorporated communities and special districts in the county,
is preparing a Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan.The plan will identify the risks
posed by natural and human caused disasters, and prioritize ways to reduce
disaster impacts. The plan is required under the Disaster Mitigation Act of
2000 as a pre-requisite for receiving certain forms of Federal disaster
assistance.
Disasters in Ventura County
As last year's wildfires demonstrated, Ventura County is highly vulnerable to
disasters. In the past ten years alone, Ventura County has received five
Presidential disaster declarations for fires, earthquakes, landslides, and
flooding. Each year, these hazards cause damage that is not significant enough
for a disaster declaration but nonetheless costs county residents, businesses,
and taxpayers millions of dollars. The risks posed by these hazards increases
as the county's population continues to grow.
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000
In response to the rising cost of responding to, and recovering from, disasters,
the President signed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390)
on October 30, 2000. Among other initiatives, the law encourages a planning
process based on cooperation between state and local authorities, and the
community-at-large, to reduce the effects of disasters. The law rewards local
and state pre-disaster planning and promotes sustainability as a strategy for
disaster resistance. Under the regulations implementing this law, states and
local governments must have an approved, adopted hazard mitigation plan in
place by November 1, 2004, to continue to be eligible for disaster assistance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for reviewing and
approving state and local plans.
Additional Information:
Disaster Council Meeting of September
9, 2004
Planning Process
Final Draft - Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation
Plan - Updated Mar 2, 2005
Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 fact sheet
Ventura County Watershed Protection District - Flood
Mitigation Plan
Hazards Appendix of the
County's General Plan and Hazard Maps
Participating Communities and Special Districts
Press Releases
Links
Public Comments and Questions Welcome
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