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Boulder Hazard Mitigation Plan Introduction 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Purpose In 2008 the Boulder Office of Emergency Management (OEM), together with the communities of Erie, Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Superior, Ward, and the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain School Districts, prepared the first Boulder County Multi -Hazard Mitigation Plan to better protect people and property from the hazards that threaten our County. By completing the plan, our County became eligible for certain federal disaster assistance including the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and the Pre -Disaster Mitigation program. Our County also earned credits for the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System. In 2016 Boulder County received approval from FEMA and established another 5-year hazard mitigation plan and program. The organizations participating in the 2016-2022 Boulder County Hazard Mitigation Plan participated in yearly updates and accomplished significant and steady progress on projects. The Board of County Commissioners reviewed yearly updates and approved the Hazard Mitigation Program Progress summary as provided each year by the Boulder OEM. The 2016 Hazard Mitigation Plan built off the 2008 plan's mitigation goals and continued project planning within that framework. In the 2022 Hazard Mitigation Plan there are new goals created from a community desire to refresh the plan's goals and create a new framework and direction within this planning effort and projects to address hazards. The update of the 2016 Hazard Mitigation Plan began in 2019 and included most planning partners from the 2016 planning team with new members from departments within the municipalities represented. The planning process had a renewed vigor and vitality from previous planning efforts. The planning group placed an emphasis on significantly updating the mitigation goals, assessing the effects of climate change on hazards, vulnerabilities and risk. As with any civic effort, the process to revise and update our hazard mitigation plan works best when it is as inclusive as possible. The OEM reached out to stakeholders, partners, and residents to educate, inform, and generate unprecedented levels of participation. In 2016, Boulder County Office of Emergency Management (BOEM) launched a virtual planning process using social media to broaden the dialogue to include those members of our communities that in the past have been underrepresented in the planning process. This activity was continued in the 2022 plan and a community survey was utilized to incorporate community input. Through an inclusive revision process focused on the mitigation goals of our communities we have developed a revised plan that will help enable our communities to protect their critical facilities, reduce their liability exposure, minimize the impact and disruption caused by hazards, and reduce the costs of disaster response and recovery. 1.2 Background and Scope Our communities within Boulder County are very familiar with the threats of fire and flood. Yet we face other hazards as well, including tornadoes, drought, hailstorms, and even earthquakes. Each hazard threatens in some way our economy, our property, and our lives. The good news is that we are not powerless against these threats. Through mitigation, we can reduce or even eliminate much of the damage caused by the hazards we face. FEMA defines hazard mitigation as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and property from a hazard. A Congressional study found that, on average, each dollar spent on mitigation saves $6 in future losses. Even more importantly, those savings pale in comparison to the lives