WELLFLEET – The Town of Wellfleet has been working on updating its Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan over the past several months with the assistance of Dr. Cally Harper, a planner from the Cape Cod Commission and several department heads. Wellfleet’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan was originally accepted by the Town and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2004. Also known as a Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan the document examines and aims to plan for sustained action that permanently reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people, property, and resources from hazards and their effects. This plan needs to be reviewed and updated periodically to keep action items current and to include newly identified actions that will increase public safety for residents and visitors. Once the Town of Wellfleet has a FEMA approved hazard plan and it is officially adopted by the Board the Selectman, the town is eligible to apply for Hazard Mitigation Assistance, funding from FEMA to plan for and mitigate hazards. Dr. Harper has been providing valuable assistance as she leads the town officials through the review and writing of the update to the current plan. The plan intends to identify hazards associated with events such as inclement weather, flooding, and increased traffic due to natural disasters.
The following actions will be undertaken over the next several months to gather additional information for the update to the plan:
- Public comment will be sought via an online survey in November to gather information and opinion.
- Presentation to the Board of Selectmen on portions of the plan in January to obtain their input and comments while the plan is being developed.
- Drone flyover and photos of the coastline in late winter/early spring to obtain benchmark data on facilities and the landscape. This aerial data will be incorporated into the plan and can be used to assess damages as we experience large storm events in the future.
- Presentation to the Board of Selectmen of the final plan for their acceptance in the spring.
Media release furnished by Wellfleet Police
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