Molalla drafts hazard plan

Published: 6/24/2010 3:00:26 PM

With assistance from the Clackamas County Emergency Management office, the city of Molalla has completed work on a plan designed to reduce risk from future natural disasters.

The natural hazards mitigation plan provides the community with a set of goals, action items and resources to reduce risks arising from earthquakes, floods, winter storms and wildfires.

The draft plan is posted on the city’s website at www.molallaplanning.com. Public comments are invited, and should be directed to the City of Molalla Planning Dept., P.O. Box 248, Molalla, OR 97068. Comments may also be e-mailed to planner@molalla.net.

Benefits of having a mitigation plan include reduced injuries and fatalities when disaster strikes, reduced property losses and economic hardship, continuation of essential services and critical facilities, reduced short-term and long-term recovery and reconstruction costs; increased cooperation and communication within the community through the planning process, and increased potential for state and federal funding for recovery and reconstruction projects.

In 2000, Congress approved the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 that listed requirements for communities to develop and adopt local natural hazard mitigation plans to become eligible for mitigation grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Clackamas County adopted its Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2002 and updated it in 2007. Each city within the county was encouraged to prepare an addendum to the county's plan. Clackamas County contracted with the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (OPDR) at the University of Oregon to hire staff to work with each participating city in developing an addendum to Clackamas County’s Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan.

Molalla planning staff, the planning commission, and other volunteers worked with county staff to develop the draft plan.