The UNM Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Comment Meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, from 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM. This meeting is a time for the community to provide feedback or comments on the draft Plan. Community members are asked to review the Plan before the meeting and come prepared to discuss their comments or concerns. If unable to attend, comments can be submitted via email to ashley@vanderjagtconsulting.com no later than Monday, September 16, 2024, at 5 PM. 

The meeting info is as follows:

Join Zoom Meeting - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81082115219?pwd=6CHMtUmWpRo2q9hSq9ppofUQdbRLAT.1

Meeting ID: 810 8211 5219
Passcode: 720586

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Meeting ID: 810 8211 5219
Passcode: 720586

What is Hazard Mitigation and Mitigation Planning?

Natural disasters can cause loss of life, damage buildings and infrastructure, and have devastating consequences for a community’s economic, social, and environmental well-being. Hazard mitigation reduces disaster damages and is defined as sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. Mitigation Planning is a community-driven process to help state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments, as well as other entities, such as universities or hospitals, plan for hazard risk. By planning for risk and setting a strategy for action, the negative impacts of future disasters can be reduced. Outreach programs that increase risk awareness, projects to protect critical facilities, and the removal of structures from flood-prone areas are all examples of mitigation actions.

Does UNM have a Hazard Mitigation Plan? 

Yes, the 2010, 2015, and 2021 (draft) Hazard Mitigation Plans can be reviewed and downloaded using the link in the following section. The Hazard Mitigation Plan is intended to identify actions that can be taken before a disaster and is not the same as the UNM Emergency Operations Plan which addresses how the university would respond to a threatening or in-progress disaster. The Hazard Mitigation Plan is aimed at raising awareness and reducing the loss of life and property from natural disasters, such as high winds, flooding, or earthquakes, on the main and branch campuses. The planning process seeks to develop ways to lessen the impact of natural disasters on the university's resources through strategic long-range planning.  

How does UNM’s plan keep up with the changes on campus?

The University of New Mexico is in the process of updating our Hazard Mitigation Plan. The current (adopted) plan was developed in 2015 and requires an update every five years. The Hazard Mitigation Plan Advisory Committee is in the process of completing the 2021 plan update. The Advisory Committee is working in partnership with City and County emergency management agencies, the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and FEMA to ensure that UNM's mitigation planning is comprehensive and will minimize the impact of natural disasters on our campuses. The update of the plan will be completed in the spring-summer of 2024.

How can I learn more or contribute to the process?

If you have questions about UNM’s Hazard Mitigation Plan or would like to provide comments about the plan update, please send an email to:  HSC-CDM@salud.unm.edu