A Steering Committee Kick-Off Meeting will be held to overview of the hazard mitigation planning process, identify the 2025 hazards of concern, discuss potential changes to the plan’s goals and objectives, and to begin the information gathering processes.  This meeting will be held at the Passaic County Public Safety Academy, 300 Oldham Road in Wayne Township on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 9 A.M. EST.

Passaic County Emergency Management has begun the process of updating the 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) for the County and its municipalities.  The plan focuses on existing and future buildings, infrastructure, and critical facilities that might be impacted by natural disasters.  Ultimately, the mitigation projects identified and implemented will reduce vulnerability and enable communities to become more resilient to disasters.

The County is preparing to kick-off the planning process of the 2025 HMP update with two meetings, the Steering Committee Kick-Off Meeting and Planning Partnership Kick-Off Meeting.  The Steering Committee is made up of representative of County departments and key stakeholders and is responsible for providing guidance and leadership throughout the planning process.  They will actively contribute, review and provide feedback on plan sections, update the plans’ goals and objectives, finalize the list of hazards of concern, and identify mitigation actions.  The Planning Partnership is formed of all members of the Steering Committee plus all participating municipalities and stakeholders.  The Planning Partnership coordinates and facilitates local efforts surrounding the HMP update and provides information and feedback on the planning process.

The County is inviting members of the public to attend both of these meetings to stay informed and involved in the planning process of the 2025 HMP update.  A number of public meetings will be held in the upcoming weeks, as listed below:

• A Steering Committee Kick-Off Meeting will be held to overview of the hazard mitigation planning process, identify the 2025 hazards of concern, discuss potential changes to the plan’s goals and objectives, and to begin the information gathering processes. 

• A Planning Partnership meeting will be held to overview of the hazard mitigation planning process, review the 2025 hazards of concern, and to begin the information gathering process.

 
The update of this plan allows the County and participating jurisdictions to continue to be eligible for future pre-disaster mitigation funding from FEMA.  Example of grant-eligible projects include home acquisitions or elevations – to either remove houses located in the floodplain to generate open space and increase flood storage or to raise their first floor above the FEMA base flood elevation – and local flood control measures.