The Kern County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) provides a comprehensive framework to reduce long-term risk from natural hazards for communities throughout Kern County. Led by the County of Kern and supported by a wide range of municipal, special district, school district, and water and wastewater agency partners, the 2020 MJHMP update identifies the region’s most pressing hazard vulnerabilities—such as severe weather, flood, wildfire, earthquake, and drought—and presents targeted strategies to protect people, property, and natural resources.
The plan builds on prior efforts with updated risk assessments, mitigation actions, and jurisdiction-specific annexes to ensure each participating agency meets FEMA’s requirements under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. The MJHMP also enables eligibility for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs and strengthens local capacity to prioritize investments in infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and community resilience.
The 2020 update incorporates new spatial data, climate change considerations, and improved exposure and damage estimation tools, including FEMA’s Hazus software. The collaborative planning process culminated in a FEMA-approved plan that spans all corners of the county and supports each jurisdiction’s unique mitigation priorities through detailed annexes available online.
- Comprehensive, Countywide Planning: Includes 50+ participating jurisdictions across municipalities, special districts, school districts, and water/wastewater districts.
- FEMA-Approved Plan: Meets all requirements under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and ensures ongoing eligibility for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) funding.
- Updated Risk Assessment: Evaluates population, property, infrastructure, and environmental exposure to major hazards including wildfire, earthquake, flood, and drought.
- Jurisdiction-Specific Annexes: Each participating entity received a customized annex with localized hazard profiles, risk matrices, and mitigation actions.
- Advanced Damage Estimation: Utilized FEMA Hazus software and spatial overlays to estimate physical, economic, and social impacts of worst-case hazard events.
- Climate Change Integration: Incorporated climate adaptation considerations into hazard profiles and long-term mitigation strategies.
- Advanced Damage Estimation: Utilized FEMA Hazus software and spatial overlays to estimate physical, economic, and social impacts of worst-case hazard events.
- Grant Readiness: Positions all participating jurisdictions to pursue state and federal mitigation funding with shovel-ready project priorities.
