Hazard Mitigation Plan

Hazard Mitigation Planning

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) resides in a region of Texas that is prone to a range of natural disasters, chief among them being hurricanes and storm surge, flooding, extreme wind events, extreme heat, disease outbreaks, severe weather (e.g., lightning, fog), fire, drought, and severe winter weather.

As defined by FEMA, hazard mitigation planning: "reduces loss of life and property by minimizing the impact of disasters. It begins with state, tribal and local governments identifying natural disaster risks and vulnerabilities that are common in their area. After identifying these risks, they develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from similar events. Mitigation plans are key to breaking the cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction."

UTMB's current Hazard Mitigation Plan (2020) can be found at that hyperlink. It provides:

A planned risk mitigation strategy
Direct eligibility for FEMA Hazard Mitigation grants, and FEMA Public Assistance if UTMB were to suffer damage

Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMP) follow a 5-year cycle, in addition to regular monitoring and maintenance of the plan within that five-year period. UTMB's most recent HMP was approved and adopted in December 2020. To prevent a lapse in coverage, its next plan will need to be approved and adopted by December 2025. The process for the 2025 HMP Update was begun in September of 2024. Details of the HMP process/activities are listed below.

If you would like to participate in the HMP update process, please email dylancas@utmb.edu.

Meeting #1 (Kickoff): This in-person meeting occurred on October 29, 2024, at 10:00am in the UTMB Administration Building. The main goals of this meeting were to introduce advisory committee members, provide background on the HMP process as well as hazards in our region, and conduct a risk assessment & prioritization exercise.

Meeting #2: This virtual meeting was held on January 8, 2025, via Microsoft Teams at 2:00pm. The focus of this meeting was discussing the priority risks from the previous meeting as well as conducting an assessment to identify gaps in our capabilities.