E-RFP #23-037 - Fresno County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

The County of Fresno (County), on behalf of the Department of Public Health (FCDPH) Office of Emergency Services (OES), is seeking proposals from experienced consultants to establish an agreement under which the successful vendor will be responsible for the update of the County’s existing 2018 Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) https://www.fresno.gov/darm/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/FresnoCountyHMPFinal.pdf as specified within this Request for Proposal. Section 322 of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390) requires that local governments have a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved LHMP as a condition of receiving hazard mitigation grant funds. To comply with this mandate, FEMA published Internal Final Rules (IFR) within the Code of Federal Regulations (sections 201 and 206 of Title 44) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-44/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-201, which govern planning procedures, content requirements, and review criteria for the plan. Hazard mitigation funds are utilized for projects that help reduce or prevent the impacts of disasters. The purpose of the LHMP is to identify mitigation measures that could help lessen the impacts of disasters on Fresno County residents, property, and the environment. The LHMP should also consider the possibility of increased frequency or intensity of the listed hazards from climate change. With over six thousand square miles of land and a population reaching 1,013,581, the County of Fresno is the sixth largest County in California and the tenth highest populated. Half of all County residents live within City boundaries. The County includes fifteen incorporated cities, 32 School Districts and multiple Special Districts. The Fresno County Operational Area (OA) stretches from the Coastal Mountain range to the middle of the Sierra Mountain range. The area is fertile flat land with a mix of rural, suburban and urban communities. The County has two major rivers, the San Joaquin River and the Kings River. Additionally, there are multiple reservoirs including Millerton Lake and Pine Flat Reservoir. The Operational Area is vulnerable to all types of disasters including floods, fires, storms, droughts and earthquakes. Between 1950 and 2023, twenty-nine State disasters have been proclaimed in Fresno County. State proclamations have been granted for floods, severe weather, earthquakes, wildfires, freezes, droughts, health emergencies and tree mortality.