Plan Overview

The Matanuska Susitna Borough adopted Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2013 and is in the process of being updated. This plan is updated every 5 years to maintain eligiblity for funding through Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) mitigation grant programs.   

The draft plan has been preliminarily approved by the State of Alaska, DHS&EM and FEMA, who paid for the contractor to complete the update, and is scheduled with the Planning Commission for a public hearing on December 7, 2020. Then to the Assembly for a public hearing in January 2021, date TBD. 

Plan Justification

Hazard mitigation…any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects. Hazard mitigation is the only phase of emergency management specifically dedicated to breaking the cycle of damage reconstruction and repeated damage...

Hazard mitigation planning helps communities reduce their risk from hazards by identifying vulnerabilities and developing strategies to lessen and sometimes even eliminate the effects of the hazard. Some of the benefits of mitigation planning are as follows: Leads to identification, selection, and prioritization of risk-reduction actions.