Hazard Mitigation Plan Update to be Held in Kula

Photo courtesy Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

By Maui Now Staff

The Maui County Hazard Mitigation Planning Steering Committee invites all Maui County residents to help update the countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan. A community meeting will be conducted to introduce the planning process on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Kula Community Center.

The meeting will be held in conjunction with a Community Wildfire Protection Plan community meeting also being held that evening. Residents, local officials, industry representatives, educators and others are encouraged to attend.

Staff will be available on-site to answer questions. Hazard risk maps will be available to visualize estimated damages that potential natural hazards such as earthquakes or floods could cause in Maui County. Personal preparedness information also will be provided and available for meeting attendees.

Maui County is in the process of updating its 2010 Hazard Mitigation Plan to ensure eligibility for future mitigation funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This detailed plan addresses a variety of potential natural hazards that could affect some or all of the county’s residents.

The county’s hazard mitigation planning process is now available online. This site will include an online hazard awareness survey and sections of the draft plan as they become available. The public is encouraged to take the online survey, review the draft plan and provide input.

“The update of this plan will allow the county to continue to be eligible for future mitigation funding from FEMA for both public and private property,” said Emergency Management Officer Anna Foust. “As residents become more aware of the potential hazards that could impact our county, our community becomes less vulnerable, more resilient, and recover more quickly when disaster does strike.”

The Kula Community Center is located at 3690 E. Lower Kula Road.

Any questions or comments regarding this process may be directed to Foust at Maui County Civil Defense Agency: (808) 270-7285 or civil.defense@mauicounty.gov.