Implementing Hazard Mitigation Measures During Pre-Disaster Periods for Water and Wastewater Utilities

Hazard mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impacts of disasters. While the need for hazard mitigation is often made clear during disaster recovery, the ideal time to plan and implement disaster mitigation measures is during “blue skies,” otherwise referred to as the pre-disaster, or non-disaster, period. Mitigation planning and implementation should take place as a continuous effort to reduce risk to natural and human-made disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides Hazard Mitigation Assistance program funding in the form of post-disaster and non-disaster grants to enhance the resiliency of state and local jurisdictions and public services, including water and wastewater utilities.During the most recent FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program application cycle and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) allocations, Arcadis assisted the District of Columbia Water and Sewerage Authority (DC Water) with projects to harden and protect stormwater, water, and wastewater facilities against flood and power failure. This presentation discusses the methodology used by the pursuit team and coordination efforts to fund mitigation measures during “blue skies.”