A planning integration guide, Plan Integration: Linking Local Planning Efforts, designed to help communities link mitigation principles and actions with various community plans in order to increase community resilience has been developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region III office. The guide leads planners and community officials through synchronizing plans and facilitating interagency coordination to reduce risk before and after a disaster.
FEMA said in an announcement that, “Use of the planning integration guide enhances risk reduction through community-wide planning by improving coordination; developing specific recommendations for integration into community-wide plans; compiling existing plan measures to include in your hazard mitigation plan; and meeting the Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool requirement to integrate hazard mitigation.”
“The guide is a tool communities can tap into to strengthen resiliency through enhanced hazard mitigation planning,” said FEMA Region III Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney. “Community resilience is directly tied to recovery, which means this resource has the potential for impacting all phases of the full disaster cycle. This kind of pilot program lays the foundation for stronger resilience in any community. When community planners who live and work in communities set their own resilience priorities they take ownership of mitigation planning and the enthusiasm that generates inspires others to do the same – and that can help jump-start even more widespread success.”
The planning integration guide uses step-by-step instructions and a checklist, real-world examples from communities, and illustrations to assist in gathering and organizing information. Through use of the guide and its resources and tools, communities can develop their own plan integration document as well as identify where gaps exist and develop strategies to address the gaps. The end result of this effort is a synchronized planning effort to increase community resiliency and reduce the risk posed by disasters.
