The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines hazard mitigation as “any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.” Another way to understand hazard mitigation is as the prevention component of the emergency management process.
To address hazard mitigation in the Madera County planning area, Madera County is partnering with the cities of Chowchilla and Madera to update the 2018 Madera County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP).
The purpose of the 2026 Madera County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) is to reduce long-term risk and loss to people, property, the environment, and local economies in the Madera County planning area while bolstering community resilience in the face of future natural disasters. Additionally, communities with a FEMA-approved LHMP are eligible to apply for FEMA pre- and post-disaster mitigation grant funding.
2026 LHMP Development Process
Madera County and the two cities are kicking off their LHMP update with meetings in April 2025 and anticipate completing the plan in late spring 2026. For additional information on this project, upcoming meetings, and how to get involved, visit Madera County|LHMP. The Madera County LHMP webpage will be updated regularly throughout the project.
For more information, contact Wendy Silva, Human Resources Director with the City of Madera, or Sergeant Joseph Wilder, LHMP Project Lead at Madera County OES.
2026 LHMP Documents
Mitigation Plan Outreach Flyer
Madera County LHMP Press Release Project Announcement Kickoff Meetings
