Philadelphia All-Hazard Mitigation Plan update: What is it and what does it mean for you?

by Noah Palau, Hazard Planning Coordinator, Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will be kicking off our update to Philadelphia’s All-Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) this summer and we’re looking for YOUR support! The HMP helps to identify hazards that the City is at risk for. It details the plans, policies, and projects that the City can use to reduce our risk of those hazards. This plan also allows the City to remain eligible for federal disaster funding. For a quick fact sheet about the plan, see here!

City Council formally adopted the 2022 plan in May 2022 and will be required to adopt the next plan no later than May 2027. OEM is ahead of schedule and plans to have an updated plan ready for council review in Fall 2025!

What is Hazard Mitigation?

Hazard Mitigation is an action taken to reduce or eliminate impacts of natural or human-caused hazards. These impacts include preventing the loss of life and damage to property. These actions that we take to reduce the risk of hazards make it easier and less expensive for the City and residents to recover from disasters, such as floods. The Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) includes information on the hazards we are most at risk for. It also shows how the City can reduce the impacts of certain hazards by implementing different policies, plans, and projects. These policies, plans, and projects are found by subject matter experts and residents like you.

How does the planning process benefit Philadelphia?

The Hazard Mitigation Planning (HMP) planning process benefits the residents of Philadelphia by bringing together lots of stakeholders who all have an interest in reducing the City’s risk to hazards. It allows the City to coordinate and better use our hazard mitigation resources. Also, we have extensive public engagement planned for the upcoming plan update. It will help us inform community members like you about the plan. We will also be asking for feedback from you! This way, we can include your concerns about hazards and potential solutions. An aware community member creates a safer and more prepared Philadelphia.

What are some hazards facing Philadelphia?

Currently, the 2022 Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) lists 18 hazards the City faces. These are split into natural hazards, like hurricanes and floods, and human-caused hazards, like building collapses and the opioid crisis. However, the two hazards that most impact Philadelphia, and that you have most likely experienced, are flooding and extreme heat.

Major storms like Hurricane Isaias in 2020 and the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021, along with severe thunderstorms, cause flooding. It affects the whole City, even if you do not live in a floodplain. The City has many impermeable surfaces, like streets and buildings, which make it hard for water to filter into the ground. This can cause more flooding in the City than in surrounding areas with more permeable surfaces, like parks and other natural areas. To find out more about flooding and get resources, visit the City’s Flood Management Program Website.

Extreme heat is a hazard that is expected to increase in frequency and duration due to the effects of climate change. Due to the urban heat island effect, the City also has temperatures that are higher than in surrounding areas. This effect can be even stronger in certain neighborhoods. Extreme heat also impacts some of our most at-risk populations such as people over the age of 65 and infants/young children. See the Philadelphia Heat Vulnerability Index to find out your neighborhood’s risk of extreme heat-related illnesses.

During the HMP update, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will work closely with our partners such as the Office of Sustainability (OOS), the Flood Risk Management Task Force (FRMTF), and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH). The goal is to get the latest info on our biggest hazards and the City’s efforts to reduce our risk to them.

What will be new in the updated plan?

In this is a plan update, the whole plan is going to be revised and all sections will have new information, graphics, and public input. Based on feedback received from the 2022 plan update, the City is aiming to:

1. Increase public engagement for the plan update by starting a public steering committee made up of community members from across the City. They will make decisions about the plan and guide its development.
2. Have a strong focus on community solutions from the experts in our various neighborhoods, you!
3. Provide more information about the risks the City faces. This will allow us to understand the various hazards in the plan better. The City can then design policies, plans, and projects to address our hazards.
4. Look at ways to better address social vulnerabilities and how hazards affect our most vulnerable populations.

How will the HMP update process work?

The HMP Update will happen between now and September 2025. During this year-and-a-half-long process, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and its partners will:

1. Identify new hazards to the City, find new data, and update the mitigation strategy. This new mitigation strategy will have new goals, objectives, plans, policies, and projects.
2. Engage representatives from City agencies, like the Streets Department, utilities, like PECO, non-profits, and community organizations. It will also mean working with regional, state, and federal partners.
3. Host all-stakeholders workgroups, focus groups, and one-on-one meetings with different agencies.
4. Engage with you! If you’d like to learn more about our current READYPhiladelphia outreach programs, visit our website!

Once all of that is done, the City revises the draft plan. We will make sure to address public comments that community members have sent in. Then, the plan is submitted to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for approval. Finally, after PEMA and FEMA approve the plan, it is formally adopted by City Council.

Where can I view the current plan?

Find the 2012, 2017, and 2022 plans on the Hazard Mitigation Plan webpage.

Residents can view hazard profiles of their neighborhoods, read about hazards in the City, and learn about mitigation projects. OEM will also be posting updates for the 2025 plan on the website.

For a quick fact sheet about the plan, please click here!

How can I get involved?

If you live, work, or play in Philadelphia, this process impacts you! Please see the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) webpage. It has more information on how you can get involved and give feedback on the plan.

Opportunities to guide the development of the plan through being a part of the Public Steering Committee and providing feedback through the public survey are now available. Continue to be on the lookout for meetings in your neighborhood!

Follow us on Social Media @PhilaOEM

For questions or to help us spread the word contact us at oem@phila.gov.