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Date: 1/20/2021
RUSSELL – Residents, business owners, stakeholders and representatives from surrounding communities were invited to participate in the initial public meeting on the town of Russell’s Hazard Mitigation Plan on Jan. 12, as part of the regularly scheduled Select Board meeting via Zoom.
Russell Emergency Management Director Michael Morrissey is heading the steering committee with the help of consultant Emily Slotnick, urban and environmental planner for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The plan is being funded by a $15,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
This planning effort is being undertaken to help the town of Russell assess the risks faced from natural hazards, identify action steps that can be taken to prevent damage to property and loss of life, and prioritize funding for mitigation efforts. A mitigation action is any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards.
Slotnick said at the kick-off meeting, participants talked about flooding, extreme temperatures, drought, high winds, forest fire, and winter storms as “hazards of concern” and culprits of past damages in Russell. She said the risk analysis will likely focus on these plus other severe storms like hurricanes, nor’easters, other flood-related hazards, and other wind events like tornados and microbursts.
The goal is to create a plan with strategies for Russell to reduce the vulnerability of its citizens, critical facilities, infrastructure, private property, and the natural environment within the town from natural hazards. The plan will be submitted to FEMA for approval and then must be formally adopted by the town’s Select Board.
Having a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation plan makes a town eligible for a number of disaster-related FEMA funds that without the HMP they cannot access, including Public Assistance (PA) Categories C-G after a disaster, fire mitigation assistance grants, HMPG project grants, and BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) project grants.
Slotnick said the best way for the public to become involved now is to take a survey about Russell’s vulnerabilities to natural hazards. The answers will help the steering committee to determine the community’s concerns and guide discussions during the plan development process. A link to the survey, which will be live for another month, as well as information about the planning process, including future public meeting dates and agendas, are posted online at www.pvpc.org/plans/town-russell-hazard-mitigation-plan.
Slotnick said those wishing to become involved in a more robust way may contact her at eslotnick@pvpc.org.