CHESTER - In an effort to keep the town of Chester and its residents safe in the face of a natural disaster or severe weather incident, the Board of Selectmen recently officially adopted its 176-page, 2014 Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.

"What's key for us here in Chester is that the high-priority areas of concern are documented, like flooding areas on Dock Road and Castle View as well as the dam on Jennings Pond and Spring Street," said First Selectman Edmund Meehan.

The plan has been drafted in conjunction with the Council of Governments and is similar to previous plans. However, as mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it must be updated every five years.

"This plan basically gives us an outline in regard to shelter, communications, meal site, and town coordination in the event of an emergency," explained Meehan.

Selectman Larry Sypher questioned whether adopting the new plan would hold the town responsible for meeting all the requirements within the plan such as creating a geographic information system (GIS) database, which he pointed out would be costly.

"This plan mentions that we should have a GIS database in place as well as a redesigned website. This all costs money-what if we don't do all this? How does that affect the town? Are we liable for anything?"

Meehan explained that the purpose of adopting the plan now is to become eligible for several grants and funding from FEMA. Some of that funding would be for things like putting a GIS into place. However, Meehan explained that adopting the plan in place doesn't hold the town responsible for everything in the plan; it's just a "jumping-off place" from which the town can choose the items it will pick up as it sees fit.

"This is not an ordinance. There are a lot of wishful items in here that are not practical, as well as a lot of good information, but this is purely a planning document, not an ordinance," said Meehan.

The Details

The primary purpose of a natural hazard mitigation plan is to identify natural hazards and risks, existing capabilities, and activities that can be undertaken by a community to prevent loss of life and reduce property damages associated with identified hazards. Hazard mitigation is defined as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards.

The plan calls for hazard mitigation actions to be implemented prior to, during, or after an event. However, it does state that hazard mitigation is most effective when based on an inclusive, comprehensive, long-term plan that is developed before a disaster occurs.

According to the document, "The Chester Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan provides information about the types of natural hazards that may affect the town and its residents and identifies specific mitigation actions it advises to keep abreast of changes to the physical environment, social fabric, and demographic composition of its people, as well as changes to ongoing efforts to mitigate the effects of natural hazards; second, to remain eligible for federal funds for ongoing and future mitigation actions."

In the wake of the unusual weather occurrences of the past several years, such as Super Storm Sandy, Tropical Storm Irene, "Snowtober," and the past winter, benefits of an up-to-date hazard mitigation plan include providing home and business owners with information to help them make better decisions about protecting their property; helping planners and local officials better understand the risks of natural hazards, which may improve local planning actions; giving builders and developers access to more accurate information for making decisions on where and how to build; and allowing emergency management to use this information to better prepare for response made by police, fire, public health, and town officials, as well as organize efforts as a part of the cycle of recovery from occurrences of natural hazards.

Another advantage of adopting the plan is the aforementioned grants available through the federal government to help prepare for natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, and winter storms, etc.