Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP)

In 2022, Panton applied for and received a grant to update the Town LHMP. The draft was presented to the Selectboard at the December 11, 2023 meeting and is available for public comment. Click here: Panton 2023 LHMP Draft.

Hazard mitigation planning enables local governments to better protect lives, property, and natural systems. The purpose of mitigation planning is to identify policies and actions that can be implemented over the long term to reduce risk and future losses. Local Hazard Mitigation Plans (LHMP) form the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage.

Local governments and their communities benefit from hazard mitigation planning by:

  • Identifying cost effective actions for risk reduction that are agreed upon by stakeholders and the public
  • Focusing resources on the greatest risks and vulnerabilities
  • Building partnerships by involving people, organizations, and businesses
  • Increasing education and awareness of hazards and risk
  • Communicating priorities to state and federal officials
  • Aligning risk reduction with other community objectives

For more information visit the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning website.

Financial benefits for local governments that have a FEMA-approved LHMP include:

  • A FEMA-approved LHMP is required for local governments that wish to receive federal funds from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
  • The LHMP is also one of the mitigation actions needed to qualify for additional post-disaster funding through the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund (ERAF).
Panton posted an RFP for an LHMP update in 2022. A 2023 draft is in progress through the Addison County Regional Planning Commission. This effort is funded by a grant the town secured from FEMA.