To view a copy of Loma
Linda's Hazard Mitigation Plan please click here.
To view a copy of Loma Linda's Safety Element please click here.
If you
have any comments, questions, or concerns regarding Loma Linda's Hazard
Mitigation Plan, please email: [email protected]
LOCAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
The City of Loma Linda is
preparing a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, or LHMP. This plan will help create a
safer community for residents, businesses, and visitors. The LHMP allows public
safety officials and city staff, elected officials, and members of the public
to understand the threats from natural and human-caused hazards in our
community. The plan will also recommend specific actions to proactively
decrease these threats before disasters occur.
WHY HAVE AN LHMP?
An LHMP will let Loma Linda
better plan for future emergencies. Usually, after a disaster occurs,
communities take steps to recover from the emergency and rebuild. An LHMP is a
way for the City to better prepare in advance of these disasters, so when they
do occur, less damage occurs, and recovery is easier. Our community can use
LHMP strategies to reduce instances of property damage, injury, and loss of
life from disasters. Besides protecting public health and safety, this approach
can save money. Studies estimate that every dollar spent on mitigation saves an
average of four dollars on response and recovery costs. An LHMP can also help
strengthen the mission of public safety officers, such as police and fire
department staff, providing them with clear roles and responsibilities to build
a safer community.
Besides helping to protect Loma
Linda, our LHMP will make the City eligible for grants from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that can be used to further improve safety
and preparedness in the community. Having an adopted LHMP can also make Loma
Linda eligible to receive more financial assistance from the State when
disasters do occur.
WHAT IS IN OUR LHMP?
The City of Loma Linda LHMP
includes four main sections:
· A summary of the natural and
human-caused hazards that pose a risk to our community. This will include
descriptions of past disaster events and the chances of these disasters
occurring in the future.
· An assessment of the threat to
Loma Linda, which will describe how our community is vulnerable to future
disasters. The plan will look at the threat to important buildings and
infrastructure, such as police and fire stations, hospitals, roads, and utility
lines. It will also look at the threat to community members, particularly
vulnerable populations.
· A hazard mitigation strategy,
which will lay out specific policy recommendations for Loma Linda to carry out
over the next five years. These recommendations will help reduce the threat
that our community faces from hazard events.
· A section on maintaining the
plan, which will help ensure that our LHMP is kept up-to-date. This will make
it easier for us to continue to proactively protect ourselves, and will also
keep the City eligible for additional funding.
WHAT HAZARDS WILL OUR
LHMP HELP PROTECT AGAINST?
The City plans to include the
following natural hazards in our LHMP:
· Wildfire
· Seismic Events
· Drought
· Climate Change
· Hazardous Materials
· Terrorism
· Flooding
· Slope Failure
· Airplane Accident/Incident
Our LHMP will also look at how
climate change may affect these hazards and may include other hazards that pose
a threat to our community.
HOW IS OUR LHMP BEING
PREPARED?
The City has assembled a Hazard
Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC), which includes representatives from City
Departments, and supported by key stakeholders, and technical consultants.
Together, these participants form the project team responsible for guiding the
overall development of our LHMP.
WHEN WILL OUR LHMP BE
DONE?
The project team plans to release
a first draft of the Loma LHMP for public review in Spring 2021. After members
of the public provide comments and feedback, the City will revise the plan, and
send it to the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA for review and
approval. Once approved by these agencies, the Loma Linda City Council will
adopt the final LHMP. We hope to have the plan ready for adoption in Summer
2021, but it may be later depending how long state and federal review takes.
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
You can get involved in preparing
our LHMP in different ways.
· The City will hold public
meetings to share information about our LHMP and obtain community feedback.
· The City will release an online
survey to members of the public in the fall of 2020, asking for information
about past experience with natural hazards and how our LHMP can be the most
useful. Take our survey when it comes out, and encourage your friends and
family to do the same.
· The City will release a draft
of the completed LHMP for public review. Please review and provide comments on
this document, either at in-person meetings or in writing.
· Encourage members of the Loma
Linda City Council to adopt the plan and begin implementing it.
· Reach out to the project team
leader & Fire Marshal Tom Ingalls (TIngalls@lomalinda-ca.gov) for more ways to stay
involved.
WHAT CAN I DO NOW TO BE
BETTER PREPARED FOR DISASTERS?
· Know the hazards that may
affect you at your home, work, or school. You can find out more at
CAL OES My Hazards.
· Assemble an emergency kit for
your home. In a disaster, you may have to rely on supplies in your emergency
kit for at least three days. Be sure to include supplies for any pets and
anyone in your home with special needs. Learn more at https://www.ready.gov/kit.
· Have a disaster plan for your
household, including how people should contact each other if a disaster occurs
and where you should meet.
· Learn about your neighbors and
how to help them. In a disaster, emergency responders may not be able to reach
your neighborhood for a while. Know if your neighbors have any special needs,
and be sure to check on them as soon as you can.
· Make sure your homeowner’s or
renter’s insurance covers you from disasters such as earthquakes and floods. If
these disasters occur, having good insurance coverage will help you recover
easier.
· Volunteer with an emergency
response or community service organization that does work on disaster education
and preparation.
· Speak to your employer about
creating a disaster recovery, workforce communication, and/or business
continuity plan. If they already have one or more of these plans in place, make
sure you and your co-workers know it.
·