FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Meeting

Gulf Coast Water Authority (GCWA) will hold a public meeting on Thursday, May 5, 2022, to gather public input for a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan. The meeting will follow the Board of Directors meeting, starting at 4:00 PM or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the GCWA Board of Directors’ meeting (whichever time is later).  The public meeting will last approximately one hour after the start at the GCWA Administration Building, 3630 FM 1765, Texas City, Texas 77591, and in the GCWA Virtual Boardroom via Zoom.  The public, area businesses, and organizations located throughout the GCWA’s service area are invited and encouraged to attend.

With a FEMA-approved Plan, GCWA will be eligible to apply for grant funding opportunities under the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) program to fund critical projects such as backup generators, drainage projects, and hardening of critical facilities to minimize future damage from natural disasters that affect the Authority’s planning area.

The purpose of the public meeting is to provide a project overview from LAN, consultant to the project, and solicit information from citizens. Public input will help the Planning Team to identify and analyze potential hazards affecting residents and recommend possible actions to reduce their impact throughout GCWA’s planning area.

The planning process is as important as the plan itself. Any successful planning activity, such as developing a comprehensive plan or local land use plan, involves a cross‐section of stakeholders and the public to reach a consensus on desired outcomes or to resolve a community problem. The result is a common set of community values and widespread support for directing financial, technical, and human resources to an agreed-upon course of action, usually identified in a plan. The same is true for mitigation planning. An effective and open planning process helps ensure that citizens understand risks and vulnerability, and they can work with the jurisdiction to support policies, actions, and tools that over the long term will lead to a reduction in future losses. Leadership, staffing, and in‐house knowledge may fluctuate over time. Therefore, the description of the planning process serves as a permanent record that explains how decisions were reached and who was involved.