Hazard mitigation plan could lead to more federal funds

An updated hazard mitigation plan approved Tuesday by the Travis County Commissioners Court could help the county win federal funds for disaster preparation. As Blake Clampffer, chief deputy emergency management coordinator, told county commissioners, adoption of the Texas Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan is a step toward eligibility for federal Unified Hazard Mitigation Grant funding. These funds can be used to buy generators and fund road improvements, public information campaigns, drainage and flood control, wildfire mitigation and infrastructure hardening. “Prior to this revised plan, we had only four different jurisdictions, plus the county,” Clampffer said. “Now we have a total of 16 jurisdictions. So we have a really big plan.” H2O Partners, a business specializing in disaster planning, was contracted in 2022 to coordinate efforts of the jurisdictions, write the plan and then navigate it through the approval process. The approval of the state of Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local governing bodies is required. A few of the 16 other jurisdictions involved include Pflugerville, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley and West Lake Hills.