Vulnerability and Resilience: Hillsborough County’s Community Vulnerability Assessment, Adaptation Plan, and Local Mitigation Strategy
Vulnerability and Resilience: Hillsborough County’s Community Vulnerability Assessment, Adaptation Plan, and Local Mitigation Strategy
Welcome to the virtual public engagement for Hillsborough County’s Vulnerability Assessment, Adaptation Plan, and Local Mitigation Strategy. Your participation will help provide insight into how your community is impacted by hazards. This includes natural hazards like floods, hurricanes, and extreme heat, as well as human-caused and technological hazards like terrorism, transportation incidents, and disease outbreaks.
Your input will be directly incorporated into the county’s Local Mitigation Strategy, which will guide our county’s actions to reduce the risk from and impact of disasters over the next five years and beyond. The virtual engagement is now open for your input.
Overview
What does this mean to you?
Your participation will help provide insight into areas that are most at risk of flooding and other hazards – and that will help direct mitigation efforts to keep our community safe and assure a speedy recovery in times of crisis.
The storm surge threat, amplified by climate change and sea level rise, requires constant awareness of the dangers and risks to human health and infrastructure in coastal communities. Hillsborough County is engaged in a planning process to update the Community Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) that was initially conducted in 2020.
A Vulnerability Assessment helps the community measure the potential impacts of flooding and sea level rise. It identifies structures, infrastructure, people, and natural resources that may be affected. The CVA will be used to inform a comprehensive Adaptation Plan.
The Adaptation Plan is a guide to identify areas at risk and to identify adaptative strategies that could be implemented.
Those two initiatives will inform the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS), which reduces the risks associated with natural and human-caused hazards. The cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Plant City also participate in the LMS planning process. All jurisdictions remain eligible for grants from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance by maintaining an LMS.
The Project
Project Engagement Timeline
Survey Summary
Hillsborough County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Public Survey Summary
Hillsborough County deployed a comprehensive survey to gather public input on hazard mitigation priorities and concerns. The survey was available from the beginning of April to the end of August 2024 and received a total of 3,129 survey responses, providing valuable insights for the LMS WG to consider in the plan update. The results from the public survey will be summarized in the main body of the plan and included in detail in the appendices. These results were used in the plan to:
- Inform the ranking of each hazard by adding the public’s sentiment of each hazard to the ranking formula (probability + impact + spatial extent = warning time + public sentiment + duration = overall vulnerability).
- Inform mitigation strategy development and prioritize areas of highest concern. The survey garnered responses from residents across all jurisdictions in Hillsborough County, ensuring a comprehensive representation of the area's population and their experiences with natural hazards. Representative survey responses which demonstrate a consensus among respondents are presented below:
- When asked about natural threats to their neighborhoods, respondents consistently ranked Hurricane/Tropical Cyclone as the highest concern, followed by Severe Storms, Extreme Heat, Flooding, and Drought.
- Flooding emerged as a significant concern with many residents, especially those in South Tampa and other lowlying areas, reporting frequent experiences with flooded streets that made travel difficult and hazardous. Respondents noted that overbuilding and poor urban planning had exacerbated flooding problems.
- The impact of extreme heat in recent years was highlighted, with residents reporting increased electricity costs and health concerns.
- Regarding future risks, respondents expressed the most significant concern about the increasing frequency and intensity of storm events, including severe storms, hurricanes, tropical cyclones, and tornadoes.
- Respondents frequently mentioned issues related to power and internet outages linked to weather conditions or infrastructure failures.
- The survey revealed that over 70% of respondents are enrolled in HCFL Alert, the County's emergency alert and notification system. This high participation rate suggests strong community engagement with local emergency preparedness efforts.
- When asked about the most important community activities to reduce risk from natural hazards, respondents prioritized three main areas: Emergency Services & Preparedness, Property Protection measures, and Large Community Structural Projects.
- Respondents strongly advocated for stricter zoning regulations and building codes, particularly to limit construction in flood-prone areas and to ensure new structures can withstand high winds and flooding. There were also calls for financial assistance programs to help homeowners retrofit their properties for better hazard resilience.
- Environmental protection measures were suggested by many respondents, including the preservation of green spaces, tree canopies, and natural habitats.
Public Meeting
The second public meeting to discuss the required 5-year update of the Local Mitigation Strategy and the simultaneous update of the countywide Vulnerability Assessment will be held virtually:
Date: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM
This meeting will be held virtually.
Use the link below to join virtually via Webex. The link will be live approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.