Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

The City of Brea is preparing the City's first Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). This plan will help create a safer community for residents, businesses, and visitors. The LHMP allows public safety officials and city staff, elected officials, and members of the public to understand the threats from natural and human-caused hazards in our community. The plan will also recommend specific actions to proactively decrease these threats before disasters occur. This plan will open up a five-year eligibility window for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants to assist in funding hazard mitigation projects within the City, as well as financial assistance from the state once formerly adopted by City Council.

Why Have an LHMP?

An LHMP will let Brea better plan for future emergencies. Usually, after a disaster occurs, communities take steps to recover from the emergency and rebuild. An LHMP is a way for the City to better prepare in advance of these disasters, so when they do occur, less damage occurs, and recovery is easier. Our community can use LHMP strategies to reduce instances of property damage, injury, and loss of life from disasters. Besides protecting public health and safety, this approach can save money. Studies estimate that every dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of four dollars on response and recovery costs. An LHMP can also help strengthen the mission of public safety officers, such as police and fire department staff, providing them with clear roles and responsibilities to build a safer community.

Besides helping to protect Brea, our LHMP will make the City eligible for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that can be used to further improve safety and preparedness in the community. Having an adopted LHMP can also make Brea eligible to receive more financial assistance from the State when disasters do occur.

What Is In Our LHMP?

The City of Brea LHMP includes four main sections:

  • A summary of the natural and human-caused hazards that pose a risk to our community. This will include descriptions of past disaster events and the chances of these disasters occurring in the future.
  • An assessment of the threat to Brea, which will describe how our community is vulnerable to future disasters. The plan will look at the threat to important buildings and infrastructure, such as police and fire stations, hospitals, roads, and utility lines. It will also look at the threat to community members, particularly vulnerable populations.
  • A hazard mitigation strategy, which will lay out specific policy recommendations for Brea to carry out over the next five years. These recommendations will help reduce the threat that our community faces from hazard events.
  • A section on maintaining the plan, which will help ensure that our LHMP is kept up-to-date. This will make it easier for us to continue to proactively protect ourselves, and will also keep the City eligible for additional funding.

What Hazards Will Our LHMP Help Protect Against?

The City anticipates addressing the following potential natural hazards within the plan:

  • Wildland Fires
  • Flood (Storm Flooding, Dam Failure)
  • Seismic Hazards (Fault Rupture, Seismic Shaking, Liquefaction)
  • Geologic Hazards (Landslide, Soil Erosion, Ground Failure)
  • Human Caused Hazards (Hazardous Materials Release, Mass Casualty Incident/Terrorism)
  • Climate Change

Our LHMP will also look at how climate change may affect these hazards and may include other hazards that pose a threat to our community.

How is Our LHMP Being Prepared?

The City has assembled a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC), which includes representatives from City Departments and supported by key stakeholders, and technical consultants. Together, these participants form the project team responsible for guiding the overall development of our LHMP.

When Will Our LHMP Be Done?

The project team plans to release a first draft of the Brea LHMP for public review in Fall 2023. After members of the public provide comments and feedback, the City will revise the plan and send it to the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA for review and approval. Once approved by these agencies, the Brea City Council will adopt the final LHMP. We hope to have the plan ready for adoption in Late 2023/Early 2024, but it may be later depending on how long state and federal review takes.

How Can I Get Involved?

You can get involved in preparing our LHMP in different ways.

  • The City will share information about our LHMP and obtain community feedback at upcoming Community Meetings.
  • The City has released an online survey to members of the public, asking for information about past experiences with natural hazards and how our LHMP can be the most useful. Take our survey and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
  • The City will release a draft of the completed LHMP for public review. Please review and provide comments on this document, either at in-person meetings or in writing.
  • Encourage members of the Brea City Council to adopt the plan and begin implementing it.
  • Reach out to the project team lead for more ways to stay involved.
  • Scan QR Code below to complete survey.LHMP - QR Code 2023