Updates are underway to Orange County’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, which aims to identify and plan for risks from natural disasters in unincorporated parts of the county; and the County of Orange and Orange County Fire Authority are seeking input from the public.
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A brief online survey is now available to help shape the local hazards plan, officials announced Thursday, May 29, and several public workshops are scheduled in the coming months.
The plan examines how natural disasters could impact residents, homes, infrastructure and essential facilities, while identifying ways to reduce damage and strengthen community resilience.
While not a natural hazard such as an earthquake or flooding, just last weekend, a hazmat chemical threat in Garden Grove caused 40,000 people to be evacuated while emergency crews worked to keep a malfunctioning tank with methyl methacrylate, which is used in plastics and manufacturing, from having an explosion or large-scale spill. There was concern and confusion as locals quickly evacuated and tried to find shelter over the long holiday weekend.
Natural hazards that could affect the region that the plan looks at also include wildland and urban fires, extreme temperatures, climate-related impacts, dam failure, drought, tsunamis, landslides, and other potential threats.
The workshops, scheduled for June 3 and Aug. 5, will give residents and commuters a chance to directly weigh in on the planning process for updating the county’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, with the goal of using community feedback to help inform emergency-response planning and reduce the risk of personal injury or property damage during disasters.
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A virtual Hazard Mitigation Working Group meeting hosted by the county and OCFA will also be held from 2 to 3 p.m. on June 2 at the County Conference Center. The meeting will include plan updates, assessment results and discussion of possible mitigation projects.
The first June 3 workshop will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. at the County Conference Center, 601 N. Ross St., in Santa Ana. A second workshop will be held later that day from 6 to 7 p.m. at Santiago Canyon College, 8045 E. Chapman Ave., in Orange, inside Lecture Hall E-203.
The workshops will use an open-house format, which is intended to allow attendees to provide comments on preliminary hazard rankings, share their experiences with natural hazards, review hazard areas near their homes or workplaces and speak with experts from OCFA, OC Public Works and the county’s emergency management team.
August workshops are expected to focus on the draft plan and will give members of the public another opportunity to submit comments and ask questions about the findings.
Residents can complete the survey online or find more information about the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan update, future workshops, meetings and hazards in unincorporated Orange County through the county’s LHMP StoryMap.
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