City Seeks Input on Hazard Mitigation Survey

WARWICK, RI — Warwick this week issued a new hazard mitigation survey meant to evaluate the city’s readiness to deal with events like hurricanes and flooding.

“This anonymous survey will help the City of Warwick identify ways to make your community safer and better prepared during and after a natural disaster,” Mayor Frank Picozzi wrote on his Facebook page August 15.

Questions on the survey include how long the respondent has lived or worked in Warwick; whether they are residents, business owners or employees; what kinds of weather events they’ve experienced; which three hazards (ranging from hurricanes and tropical storms to blizzards and extreme cold) are most concerning to them; how prepared they feel for upcoming events; and whether and how often their street floods.

Residents can also note their preferred method of getting information about natural hazards, and voice their opinion on “spending tax dollars on mitigation projects for the benefit of specific vulnerable neighborhoods.”

City Planning Director Daniel Geagan explained in an email how feedback from residents helps the city prepare for adverse weather events.

“A key element in the mitigation planning process is the discussion it promotes amongst Warwick’s residents and businesses about creating a safer, more disaster-resilient community,” Geagan wrote. “Resident feedback and input will help shape the content and mitigation actions identified in the plan. Participation also increases education and awareness about Warwick’s vulnerability to natural hazards and leads to increased disaster preparedness and overall community resilience.”

Geagan noted that the most common natural hazards are “coastal storms, such as hurricanes, Nor’Easters and winter snow events,” and added that Warwick’s emergency response teams “are very experienced and well equipped to manage most storm related events.”

Revising the mitigation plan keeps the city eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding and support since FEMA requires updates to be done every five years, Geagan explained, and helps guide the city in rolling out “mitigation actions” like raising structures and streets to be above projected flood levels, protecting pump stations from getting submerged, and acquiring properties in flood zones.

The updated draft of the mitigation plan should be “available for review and input by mid-January 2024,” and Geagan noted.