Fremont City Council Meeting: 11/12/24 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Fire Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Plans, Policies and Studies
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5217) DOC ID: 5217
Updated: 11/6/2024 5:11 PM by Dina Lewis Page 1
ADOPT RESOLUTION TO UPDATE LOCAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – Update the 2016 City of Fremont Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) by adopting the 2024 Tri-Cities LHMP Update. Authorize staff to make any interim updates.
Contact Persons:
Name: Alec Tune Donna Do
Title: Emergency Services Manager Management Analyst II Div/Dept: Fire Department Fire Department
Phone: 510-494-4200 510-494-4200
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) completed its review of the 2024 Tri-City Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (the Plan) and issued a letter to the City of Fremont approving the Plan, pending its adoption by the City Council – as well as the governing bodies of four other jurisdictions that participated in the multi-jurisdictional project to prepare the Plan. By adopting the Plan, the City becomes eligible to receive FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant funding – subject to other eligibility criteria and competitive application processes. The Plan addresses various natural hazards, including:
• Earthquake
• Wildland/Urban Interface Fire
• Severe Weather & Climate Change
• Flood
• Tsunami
• Dam Failure
• Sea Level Rise
• Landslides
The Plan assesses the risk that these hazards pose to the City of Fremont and its residents, and to adjacent communities within the scope of the project. The Plan sets goals to reduce these risks, including 34 specific, proposed actions for the City of Fremont. The Plan meets Federal and State requirements concerning local hazard mitigation plans; incorporates seismic modeling; and aligns with existing plans such as the General Plan, Climate Ready Fremont, and the Urban Forest Master Plan. The Plan is also creditable toward the City’s flood insurance rating under FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, Community Rating System – which affects flood insurance premiums for homes and businesses.
BACKGROUND: Under the Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) of 2000 (44 CFR 201.6), the City is required to prepare, maintain, and update its local hazard mitigation plan (LHMP) at least once every five years as a condition of receiving FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant funding – subject to other eligibility criteria and competitive application processes. The City is not required to maintain an LHMP in order to be considered for other Federal and State Disaster Assistance funding. The City’s most recent Council Staff Report (ID # 5217) Meeting of November 12, 2024 Updated: 11/6/2024 5:11 PM by Dina Lewis Page 2
LHMP was adopted by Council on December 20, 2016 and was subsequently approved by FEMA on January 9, 2017.
In June 2021 the Fremont Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Services partnered with the emergency management offices of the Cities of Newark and Union City, Alameda County Water District, and Union Sanitary District to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to complete a new Tri-City Multi-jurisdictional LHMP. In September 2022, the Fire Department was notified of a funding award in the amount of $187,500.00.
In October 2022, the City of Fremont City Council unanimously accepted the funding. In February 2023, following a competitive solicitation – and joint selection of a consultant by a panel of emergency management professionals from each of the partnering local jurisdictions mentioned above – the City of Fremont City Council authorized the award of a contract to Foster Morrison Consulting, Ltd. In March 2024, the City fully expended the grant. In August 2024, Cal OES completed a compliance review of the grant-funded project and had no findings. A matching fund requirement under the grant was met entirely through in-kind contributions of staff hours, with a $0 cost to the City.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The purpose of a LHMP is to reduce the impact that natural hazards pose to communities by assessing risk and vulnerability, setting goals, and proposing actions to reduce long-term risk. The new Plan meets all requirements of the DMA of 2000, and FEMA’s 2023 Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide.
The Plan addresses various natural hazards, including:
• Earthquake
• Wildland/Urban Interface Fire
• Severe Weather & Climate Change
• Flood
• Tsunami
• Dam Failure
• Sea Level Rise
• Landslides
The Plan assesses the risk that these hazards pose to the City of Fremont and its residents, and to adjacent communities within the scope of the project. Additionally, the Plan:
▪ Sets goals to reduce natural hazard risks, including 34 specific, proposed actions for the City of Fremont;
▪ Is creditable under the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System – which affects flood insurance premiums for homes and businesses; ▪ Incorporates seismic modeling of various earthquake scenarios, to evaluate risk to the community and public facilities, with forecasted impacts; and ▪ Aligns with existing plans such as the General Plan, Climate Ready Fremont, and the Urban Forest Master Plan.
The Plan is organized into a Base Plan common to all five Participating Jurisdictions, individual Annexes pertinent to each Participating Jurisdiction, and numerous Appendices.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5217) Meeting of November 12, 2024 Updated: 11/6/2024 5:11 PM by Dina Lewis Page 3
Extensive public outreach occurred over the course of the project, including via My.Fremont, press releases, social media, newspaper ads, and an online survey. In total, there were 190 individual participants who attended various project meetings – including representatives of the five Participating Jurisdictions and more than 40 additional public agencies, as well as members of the public.
FISCAL IMPACT: By adopting the Plan, the City will become eligible to receive FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant funding – subject to other eligibility criteria and competitive application processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The action recommended in this report is not a project subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guideline section 15378(b)(2) as it is an administrative and funding activity of government.
LINKS:
1. Tri-City LHMP Update Base Plan
2. City of Fremont Annex
ATTACHMENTS:
• FEMA’s letter of Approval-Pending-Adoption, dated July 3, 2024 • Draft Resolution to adopt 2024 Tri-City LHMP
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Adopt Resolution to update 2024 Tri-City Multi-jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
2. Authorize staff to make interim updates to the Plan, including the Plan’s City of Fremont Annex.