Use Hazard Mitigation Planning

The Hazard Mitigation Planning solution delivers a set of capabilities that help emergency management agencies understand hazards that may impact their community, generate a series of hazard risk maps, share hazard mitigation information with the public, and manage hazard mitigation planning and project feedback.

In this topic, you will learn how to use the solution by assuming the role of a user and performing the following workflows.

Note:

Use your organization's data or configured apps to follow these workflows.

Create hazard risk assessment maps

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines risk as the estimated impact a hazard would have on people, services, facilities, and structures in a community, based on the exposure profile (the people, property, and systems that could be lost), hazards (act or phenomenon that poses danger), and vulnerability (susceptibility to loss).

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a GIS analyst who produces contextual maps of the jurisdiction and its hazards to be included in the risk assessment section of a Hazard Mitigation Plan.

1. In a browser, sign in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Hazard Risk Assessment Maps app.
2. Click on the Profile tab at the top of the app.
3. The app opens by default to the Getting Started section. Click on subsequent sections to open a series of topical web maps with curated layers.
4. Add, remove, change visibility, or modify the layers in each topical web map to best represent the needs of the profile maps for your jurisdiction's hazard mitigation risk assessment. Save each map when you are finished.

   As you create the maps for each section, you may choose to perform additional configuration of the feature layers and maps to best fit your organization's needs by completing the following optional steps:

   • Update field display names—You can update field display names when terminology used in the solution does not match your organization's language.
   • Update labels—You can update the label style and display extent to best suit your local context. By default, labels are designed to optimize print export at a county scale, but you may wish to change the style, font, visibility scale, or display text. While labels can be configured in the web maps of the solution, they are configured by default within the feature layer views. Updating the labels in the feature layer view will make it easier to manage your label configuration across multiple solutions rather than a specific map. Update labels from the Visualization tab or configure within the web map.
   • Update pop-ups—You can update the pop-up display to meet your organizational preferences. For example, if you added fields in the Historical Hazard Events layers, you'll likely want to include that information in your pop-up. While pop-ups can be configured in the web maps of the solution, they are configured by default within the feature layer views. Updating the pop-ups in the feature layer view will make it easier to manage your pop-up configuration across multiple solutions rather than a specific map. Update pop-ups from the Visualization tab or configure within the map.
   • Update symbols—You can update the symbols, including color and size, to meet your organizational preferences. While symbols can be configured in the web maps, they are configured by default within the feature layer views. Updating the symbols in the feature layer view will make it easier to manage your layer visualization across multiple solutions rather than a specific map. Update symbology from the Visualization tab or configure symbology within the web map.
   • Modify basemap—By default, the solution's web maps leverage the Multiply blend mode of the Community basemap and Hillshade, along with a grayscale effects style. You can use this blended basemap or use another basemap. If you choose a different basemap, the default blended configuration will be lost.

Note:

Learn more about creating web maps in ArcGIS Online.
5. Click on the Hazards tab and Vulnerability tab at the top of the app to see the curated maps in each of those respective categories. Follow the included sections and modify and save the maps as needed.

Tip:

The hazard and vulnerability maps created in the Hazard Risk Assessment Maps app are also used in the public-facing Hazard Explorer app. Label, symbolize, name layers, and make data layers visible by default as appropriate for viewing by members of the public. If you create additional hazard maps, you may also want to update sharing on those maps to Everyone (public).

6. Click on the Export tab at the top of the app.
7. Click Open map and open the risk assessment map you would like to export.

Note:

If you created additional maps and saved them as copies during previous steps, the additional maps will need to be shared to the Hazard Risk Assessment Maps group in order to appear in the Export workflow.
8. Click Save and choose which format you would like to download your map image. Set your options in the pop-up dialogue.

Inventory hazard mitigation projects

Maintaining an inventory of hazard mitigation projects and sharing mitigation activities and locations with the public enhances community preparedness and fosters trust. Hazard mitigation planners, mitigation stakeholders, and the public can better understand efforts to mitigate future disasters and increase resilience. The Mitigation Project Inventory app can be used by emergency management agencies to inventory hazard mitigation projects that will be shared with the public.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a hazard mitigation planner who needs to inventory mitigation projects in your community.

1. In a browser, sign in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Mitigation Project Inventory app.
2. From the item page, click View.
3. In the left panel, click the Edit tab.
4. In the Editor panel, use Create features to choose points or areas to represent the project.
5. For Hazard Mitigation Project Points, click New Feature, and then click the project's location on the map to place the point. You may also use the search capabilities within the map to enter an address.
6. For Hazard Mitigation Project Areas, click New Feature, then sketch the polygon's area on the map. Double-click the map to complete drawing the feature.
7. In the Create features panel, complete the form with details about the mitigation project and click Create.
8. To edit an existing mitigation project location, click Select in the Editor panel, and then click the project on the map.
9. Make any necessary changes in the form, then click Update.
10. Repeat steps 3 through 9 for each mitigation project that you want to add to your inventory.

Explore hazards and resilience information

By fostering awareness and proactive engagement, communities can increase resilience and better protect lives and property in the face of natural hazards. A key aspect of any hazard mitigation planning program is a web destination that helps the public and stakeholders understand natural hazards, risks, and resilience information in their area.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a member of the public. You are interested in exploring the hazards present in your area and hazard mitigation planning and resilience efforts.

1. In a browser, browse to the Hazard Mitigation Outreach site.
2. Review the information on the site, including the existing Hazard Mitigation Plan, frequently asked questions, and other information provided.
3. Use the Hazard Explorer app to learn about hazards in your area.
4. Scroll to the Programs and Initiatives section and review the related mitigation and resilience initiatives in your community.

   Note:

   Each initiative may link to a separate ArcGIS Hub site, depending on how you configured your site.

5. Navigate to the Projects page and use the Mitigation Project Viewer app to learn about mitigation projects in the community.
6. Navigate to the Partner Engagement page to learn about hazard mitigation planning partners in the community.

Provide feedback

Engaging with the public and providing opportunities to provide feedback is an important part of updating a Hazard Mitigation Plan. This feedback helps planners understand what is important to their community members when it comes to mitigation and resilience efforts.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a member of the public who wants to provide feedback on the draft of your community's update of the Hazard Mitigation Plan.

1. In a browser, browse to the Hazard Mitigation Outreach site.
2. Scroll to the Engage with the draft plan section.
3. Click Draft plan to view the current draft of the Hazard Mitigation Plan update.

   Note:

   The draft plan will only be visible if it was added to the gallery during the Configure steps.

4. Click Public comment to open the feedback survey.
5. Complete the Hazard Mitigation Plan Feedback survey.

   Note:

   Required fields are marked with a red asterisk.

6. Place your location on the map. You may enter your town or neighborhood if you do not wish to share your address.
7. Click Submit.

Review feedback

As part of the creation or update of a jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan, emergency management agencies collect feedback from the public and other stakeholders. This helps meet FEMA requirements for plan approval to describe how the public was involved in the update process, as well as engaging the public on mitigation efforts in their community.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a hazard mitigation planner who needs to review feedback received on the hazard mitigation plan, note follow-up needs, and export the feedback for records retention.

1. In a browser, sign in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Mitigation Plan Feedback Manager app.
2. From the item page, click View.
3. Select a survey feedback record by checking the box to the left of the row.
4. Under Information, review the comment submission.
5. Once you have reviewed the comment submission, click Edit to change Review status to "Reviewed," and Response status to "Responded," "Not yet responded," or "No response required."
6. Click Update.
7. To export the submitted comments as a spreadsheet for records retention, click the More drop-down arrow and choose Export to CSV.

   The Save as dialog box appears.

8. Browse to the location on a local or network computer where you want to save a copy of the CSV file to.
9. Type a name for the CSV file.
10. Click Save.