The University of New Orleans Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology (UNO-CHART) helped craft the Louisiana State Hazard Mitigation Plan, which was recently approved by FEMA. The plan remains in effect until March 2029.

State hazard mitigation plans are required by FEMA to qualify states to receive federal aid and grants. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) worked with researchers at UNO-CHART, the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Research and Education Center, and LSU to develop the plan.

UNO-CHART supported the update of the Louisiana State Hazard Mitigation Plan with a focus on the planning process; state mitigation capabilities; the overall mitigation strategy; local coordination and capacity building; mitigation in action across the state, and plan review, evaluation, and implementation. Additionally, UNO-CHART updated the Statewide Community Rating System (CRS) Strategy and plans to update the current Statewide Repetitive Loss Strategy over the next year.  

“UNO-CHART has participated in multiple mitigation planning efforts at the university, local and state level,” said Monica Teets Farris, director of UNO-CHART. “We worked on the 2019 State Mitigation Plan and were pleased to once again have the opportunity to support planning that will guide risk-informed decision-making for our state for the next five years.”

UNO-CHART is an applied social science hazards research center at the University of New Orleans that partners with and supports Louisiana communities in efforts to achieve disaster resilience with a focus on mitigation.

“Having a strong state hazard mitigation plan is critical to help Louisiana communities prepare and recover from disasters,” said Jeffrey Giering, Louisiana’s state hazard mitigation officer. “Partnerships with these universities are critical to our success and enable us to move the state’s emergency preparedness plan forward.”

The next phase of the statewide planning effort is to share information about natural hazard risk and ways to reduce this risk in Louisiana. Parishes throughout the state will be updating parish-level hazard mitigation plans and often use the Louisiana State Hazard Mitigation Plan as a baseline.

You can download the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Guide and find other information at www.getagameplan.org.