Hazard Mitigation Projects

The MJHMP identifies projects to mitigate the impacts of hazards identified in the plan. Project identification includes identifying all possible options to address planning objectives. The best option may be to work with other actors in the community to design solutions that are responsive to community values while reducing risk. These types of solutions can often be funded in very innovative ways including solutions that increase local industry and revenue. Project identification is followed by a comprehensive evaluation of possible project options to identify viable, preferred options for the development of specific implementation strategies. Preferred options may change as different stakeholders come to the table and additional ideas are proposed or funding sources identified. Incremental mitigation projects, in which risk is slowly brought down through a comprehensive range of actions, can be a much more realistic strategy than identifying the best (and often costliest) solution. Project evaluation criteria include the need for and the availability of funding or specific project options along with technical feasibility, environmental consequences, cost-effectiveness, etc.

Since April of 2021, we have submitted 11 projects from the Santa Clara County Operational Area totaling more than $95,000,000.00 in Notices of Interest. Out of the 11 projects, 7 have moved to the subapplication process totaling more than $36,000,000.00 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) projects. All submitted projects address the hazards identified in the Operational Area Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and increase resiliency within Santa Clara County, and beyond. The current projects under review include but are not limited to:

• Hazardous fuels reduction projects (wildfire)
• Planning projects (multi-hazard)
• Alert and Waring project (multi-hazard)
• Storm drain retrofit project (flooding)
• Microgrid project (multi-hazard)