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Key Points

There has not been a significant change in vulnerability resulting from development or historic events since the last approved plan.
The pandemic brought many issues to the table in addition to lessons learned.
While the city remains relatively protected from severe storm events that prove destructive and costly for other areas of the county, the issue of extreme heat was added to the profiled hazards
The city has done a great job with planning and operationalizing the actions that serve to maintain and enhance resilience to natural hazards.
Assuring a collaborative effort to sustain and build awareness in areas that require others at the table is a common theme coming from community surveys across the region. This insight holds true for the city and provides an opportunity for enhanced collaboration and communication moving forward.

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HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

For this update, the planning team considered the continued inclusion or deletion of the 2016 hazards profiled by developing and researching the natural hazard categories outlined in the state mitigation plan and for each, considered prior history, current trends and available data to estimate risk.

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

2022 Updated Profiled Natural Hazards: Severe Winter Storm/Ice, Flooding/fluvial erosion, Extreme Hot and Cold Temperature, Drought, and Pandemic (listed as “Epidemic” in 2016 plan).

Mitigation Goals: 2022-2027

Recognize the characteristics that make the City of Newport unique within Orleans County and incorporate these findings into the hazard mitigation planning
Reduce at a minimum, and prevent to the maximum extent possible, the loss of life and injury resulting from all hazards.
Mitigate financial losses and environmental degradation incurred by municipal, educational, residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural establishments due to various hazards.
Maintain and increase awareness amongst the City’s residents and businesses of the damages caused by previous and potential future hazard events as identified specifically in this Local All-Hazards Mitigation Plan.
Recognize the linkages between the relative frequency and severity of disaster events and the design, development, use and maintenance of infrastructure such as roads, utilities and storm water management and the planning and development of various land uses.
Maintain existing municipal plans, programs and ordinances that directly or indirectly support hazard mitigation.

Mitigation Goals: 2022-2027

Develop a mechanism for formal incorporation of this Local All-Hazards Mitigation Plan into the municipal comprehensive plan as described in 24 VSA, Section 4403(5). This mechanism will be developed by the Planning Commission, City Council and NVDA and integrate the strategies into the existing City Plan as annexes until the next formal update occurs, where a section devoted to mitigation planning will be integrated into the plan.
Develop a mechanism for formal incorporation of this Local All-Hazards Mitigation Plan particularly the recommended mitigation actions, into the municipal/town operating and capital plans & programs as they relate to public facilities and infrastructure. With the development of the road erosion site inventory, the town will begin a process that incorporates the budgetary requirements of the defined mitigation strategies into its formal budgeting paradigm. The Planning Commission will review the LHMP and use language/actions from it to inform the integration and update process. Town Meeting Day will serve as the formal time that mitigation strategy budgetary considerations will be approved and incorporated into the City budget.

Mitigation Actions: 2022-2027

Action #1: Reduce vulnerability to flooding by evaluating capabilities of existing road and storm water management infrastructure, public education and through municipal services and regulations

Action #3: Reduce impact of extreme hot (including drought) and cold temperature durations