LAUSD Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
In 2004, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LA Unified) developed a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) which received Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approval. Subsequent LHMPs were prepared and received FEMA approval. The LHMP is typically valid for a period of five years. In order to keep the LHMP current an update is required to reflect the current responsibilities of LA Unified’s divisions, departments and offices and addresses major natural and human-caused disasters that have the potential to impact LA Unified facilities and operations.
The LHMP provides a framework to lessen the impact of natural disasters. By encouraging whole-community involvement, assessing risk and using a range of resources, local governments can reduce risk to people, economies, and natural environments.
The updated plan was prepared to ensure LA Unified would be eligible for FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation and Hazard Mitigation Grant programs, explicitly, FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program, and the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program. Without an approved LHMP, LA Unified would not be eligible for reimbursement from FEMA following a natural disaster.
2018 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
On August 31, 2018, LA Unified submitted the updated LHMP to the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA for their review and approval. The LHMP was prepared pursuant to the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390) and the implementing regulations set forth by the Interim Final Rule published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2002, (44 CFR §201.6) and finalized on October 31, 2007. On October 17, 2018, the LHMP received conditional approval subject to Board of Education adoption.
On November 13, 2018, the Board of Education adopted the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) and received FEMA approval on November 19, 2018.
2018 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (Final Version)
2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
To address Hazard Mitigation, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LA Unified) is developing an update to their 2018 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). The purpose of the LHMP development process is to help reduce the impacts of natural hazards to LA Unified and the communities it serves.
Flood, drought, wildfire, and severe weather are just a few of the natural hazards of concern to the District. While natural hazards such as these cannot be prevented, an LHMP forms the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses by breaking the repeated cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction. Jurisdictions with a FEMA- approved LHMP are eligible for FEMA pre- and post-disaster grant funding and are better positioned to respond and recover when disasters occur.
The LHMP development process is as important as the plan itself. It creates a framework for risk-based decision making to reduce damages to lives, property, the environment, and the economy from future disasters.
LA Unified is kicking off their LHMP Update with meetings in June 2024. The LHMP Update will address an updated list of hazards, will assess the likely impacts of these hazards to the people and assets of the LAUSD planning area, and will also establish updated goals and prioritize mitigation projects to reduce the impacts of future disasters on LA Unified students, staff, and District facilities.
Opportunities for Input
The LHMP Update is currently scheduled for Board of Education hearing Fall 2025. For more information and Board materials, check https://boe.lausd.org/.
For more information on this project and how to be involved, contact Christy Wong at (213) 241-3394 or email at [email protected].