Community Engagement Efforts Encourage Feedback to Enhance Safety
By Dolores Quintana
The City of West Hollywood seeks to foster community engagement in projects and initiatives that impact its residents. The City’s Community Safety Department is taking strides to update the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, and the draft Plan is now available on the City’s official website for community input. The draft Plan will be accessible for public review and feedback from Thursday, September 7, 2023, through Monday, September 25, 2023.
Community members interested in learning more and providing feedback can visit https://go.weho.org/hazardplan.
Local Hazard Mitigation Plans play a pivotal role in guiding communities in their efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of both natural and human-caused hazards. West Hollywood’s updated Local Hazard Mitigation Plan will offer a comprehensive roadmap, identifying potential hazards affecting the community and outlining strategies to minimize their impact on residents, businesses, and the community at large. Moreover, these plans provide an avenue for accessing funding to implement specific measures aimed at hazard reduction.
The outreach for updating West Hollywood’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan commenced in Spring 2023. The Plan’s considerations encompass a wide range of hazards, including wildfires, earthquakes, extreme weather conditions, floods, high winds, drought, terrorism, and hazardous materials incidents. These plans must undergo updates every five years and are subject to review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The City of West Hollywood has taken extensive measures to revise its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, particularly focusing on FEMA’s recent guidance issued in April 2023, which emphasizes a more robust approach to addressing climate impacts and equity concerns.
This updated Plan underscores West Hollywood’s commitment to addressing the challenges posed by hazardous materials, solidifying its position as a resilient and sustainable leader on the global and local fronts for the well-being of current and future generations.
For additional information about the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, please reach out to Margarita Kustanovich, the City of West Hollywood’s Emergency Management Coordinator, by phone at (323) 848-6414 or via email at safety@weho.org. For individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing, TTY service is available at (323) 848-6496.
