The purpose of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) is to identify potential measures/projects/actions that can be taken to help reduce and/or eliminate the loss of life and property from the impact of natural, technological, and human-caused threats and hazards in the community.

While LHMPs are not required, South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) must have an approved and adopted LHMP to receive federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

What is in the LHMP?

The contents of the LHMP include:

  • Documentation of the LHMP Planning Process used to update the plan.
  • Documentation of current mitigation capabilities.
  • Identification of community threats and hazards and an assessment of their impacts on the District.
  • Identification of potential measures, actions, and projects to mitigate those impacts.

SOCCCD is responsible for preparing, adopting, and maintaining the LHMP, while the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) is responsible for reviewing and forwarding the LHMP to FEMA for final approval. The LHMPs must be updated, approved, and adopted every five (5) years. The latest SOCCCD LHMP was approved and adopted in 2022.

SOCCCD Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

Our "Whole Community" Planning Process

SOCCCD uses a “whole community” comprehensive planning process to both develop and update the LHMP. This inclusive approach involves:

  • SOCCCD Stakeholders: Students, faculty, and staff.
  • Local Government: Surrounding cities and county representatives.
  • Special Districts: Utilities and transportation agencies.
  • Investor-Owned Utilities: Including Southern California Edison (SCE), Southern California Gas (SoCalGas), and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E).
  • Community Members: Residents and partners with a vested interest in the safety and resilience of the District.

To guide this effort, SOCCCD established two primary teams: a Core Planning Team and a Stakeholder Planning Team. These teams are responsible for the creation, review, and validation of all information within the LHMP.

Public Participation & Meetings

During significant stages of the LHMP process, the Core Planning Team presents and solicits information from the public. Information from the public ensures the Core Planning Team and the Stakeholder Planning Team are considering and incorporating additional perspectives in the LHMP.

Public perspective ensures that the Planning Teams are incorporating diverse viewpoints into the final plan. SOCCCD anticipates holding two (2) public meetings during the update process: one during the early stages and one toward the end of the process. This allows the planning teams to work through key aspects of the plan before soliciting specific public comments on the draft information.

Missed a meeting? Recordings of public meetings will be available on this webpage after the event for those unable to attend in person.

How to Provide Feedback

The public can provide comments or feedback through the contact information provided in the meeting presentations or via the link below:

All comments received from the public will be documented and considered for inclusion into the LHMP.

Public Meeting Presentations