Coastal Services Center

The hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes experienced in the first half of the 1990s have been the most costly in the history of the United States. Spurred by a hurricane in 1991, Rhode Island has implemented a collaborative hazard mitigation project designed to reduce damage from natural disasters at both the state and local levels.

When Hurricane Bob hit the coast of Rhode Island in 1991, the state experienced an estimated $115 million in property damage, most of it caused by the storm's 105 mile per hour winds. After the hurricane, the Rhode Island Sea Grant Coastal Resources Center (SGCRC) and the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) helped initiate the state's hazard mitigation efforts. Today, the state's hazard mitigation work is considered a model by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Institute for Business and Home Safety has designated Rhode Island a "Showcase State."

"Rhode Island is getting communities to think about not just what they need to address after a disaster, but what they can do now to protect themselves," says Cecelia Rosenberg, physical scientist in the Program Planning Branch and Mitigation Directorate at FEMA Headquarters. "Rhode Island is a great example. There's almost nothing that they don't do."

Rhode Island's hazard mitigation efforts began small. After Hurricane Bob, the SGCRC received a $5,000 RIEMA grant to develop a plan to help marina and boat owners.

"There was severe boat and dock damage to marinas," says Pam Pogue, Natural Hazard Mitigation project manager for the SGCRC. The recreational harbor hurricane mitigation plan was created to "provide guidance to waterfront property and marina owners on how to deal with the damage caused by storms, protect public assets, and minimize costs."

In 1994, the role of the State Hazard Mitigation Committee, which consists of various state agency representatives, was changed from solely reviewing grants to developing programs and policies on hazard mitigation implementation, Pogue says. Membership was expanded to include the state coastal program and private sector representation from industries such as banking, building, and insurance. The committee is coordinating and integrating hazard mitigation efforts among state agencies, and is analyzing existing state and local hazard mitigation actions and policies. The result will be a comprehensive state hazard mitigation plan that addresses all natural disasters.

Also in 1994, the SGCRC and RIEMA funded a full-time staff position to work with communities to develop and then implement local hazard mitigation plans that are incorporated into a municipality's comprehensive plan. "We want local decision makers to apply hazard mitigation measures in every single land use decision they make," Pogue explains. "We want them to consider coastal zone management issues, building issues, floodplain issues, emergency management issues, and bring it all together, integrate it, and create a community goal for reducing looses."

With Project Impact funding from FEMA, two pilot communities were selected for the development of model local hazard mitigation plans. A 10-step process was developed that includes a series of workshops that bring together local building officials, emergency management officials, planners, and public works personnel to "determine where their agency and community are vulnerable," and develop appropriate strategies, Pogue says.

"The most important part of mitigation planning is hazard risk and vulnerability assessment," she notes. "In many situations, the folks involved haven't even met before. You need to involve the planners, building officials, city council members, fire chief, police, sewer and water engineering staff – any element potentially touched by hazard mitigation. It's the most important and time consuming step."

Four local hazard mitigation plans have been completed so far, with "10 more in the works," Pogue says. Of the 39 municipalities in Rhode Island, 33 have written "letters of intent" to create hazard mitigation plans. The State Hazard Mitigation Committee reviews and approves the local plans in order to ensure consistency with state hazard mitigation efforts.

A first-of-its-kind interactive exercise also has been developed for local decision makers that simulates a natural disaster, such as a 100-year flood. During a day-and-a-half workshop facilitated by Pogue, decision makers are presented with a likely scenario and are taken through the steps necessary in the event of an actual emergency.

While Rhode Island has made significant progress in its hazard mitigation efforts, Grover Fugate, executive director of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, says there is "a lot more that could be done. We haven't had a major storm since 1938. I don't think people in this state realize the potential out there, and what it's going to be like to have to respond."

Among the additions Fugate would like to see are bond monies to purchase property in hazardous areas, and a statewide tree-trimming program, because he sees the "potential for a lot of tree damage" from a storm that could knock out electricity and cause other problems.

Raymond LaBelle, RIEMA executive director, says the state is much better prepared for the next storm. "The real accomplishment is that we've come together to become a disaster resistant state. We will never be disaster proof, but we can be disaster resistant."

For more information about Rhode Island's hazard mitigation project, point your browser to http://crc.uri.edu/field/us/HazardMit/index.html. You may also contact Pam Pogue at (401) 874-6616, or Raymond LaBelle at (401) 946-9996. For more information on FEMA funding for hazard mitigation, point your browser to http://www.fema.gov/mit/.