Hazard Mitigation Plan

Seven counties (Forsyth, Davie, Surry, Yadkin, Stokes, Rockingham & Caswell), which include 37 jurisdictions, work together to produce the regional Northern Piedmont Hazard Mitigation Plan. This planning process reduces risks and helps make our communities more prepared, more sustainable and more resilient in all types of emergencies, such as winter storms, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding, droughts, wildfires, tropical storms, etc.

The Forsyth County portion of the plan must be regularly updated, reviewed and adopted by all the jurisdictions in Forsyth County. These include Bethania, Clemmons, Kernersville, Lewisville, Rural Hall, Tobaccoville, Walkertown, Winston-Salem and the unincorporated areas of Forsyth County. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management maintains the Forsyth County portion of the plan.

2023 Progress Report f0r Forsyth County Northern Piedmont Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan

2020 Northern Piedmont Hazard Mitigation Plan - General Plan (PDF)

2020 Northern Piedmont Hazard Mitigation Plan - Appendices (PDF)

History of Mitigation Planning

In June of 2001, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 300, an Act to amend the laws regarding emergency management, disaster recovery and mitigation funds. Among other provisions, this bill requires that local governments have a state approved hazard mitigation plan in order to receive state public assistance funds (effective for state-declared disasters following November 1, 2004).

In October of 2000, the President of the United States signed into law the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988. This new legislation reinforces the importance of pre-disaster mitigation planning, establishing a requirement that local governments adopt a mitigation plan in order to be eligible for hazard mitigation funding.

Both Senate Bill 300 and the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 set forth certain requirements for local governments to have an approved hazard mitigation plan. For multi-jurisdictional plans, FEMA’s Interim Rule requires that the plan documents how each of the jurisdictions participated in the planning process and describes the steps they took to involve the public in the planning process.

The purpose of the Hazard Mitigation Plan is:

• To demonstrate local commitment to hazard mitigation planning principles;
• To reduce natural hazard vulnerability by reducing the potential for future damages and economic losses;
• To speed recovery and redevelopment following future natural hazard events;
• To comply with both State and Federal legislative requirements for local hazard mitigation planning; and
• To qualify for additional grant funding, in both pre-disaster and post-disaster situations.

Historical Plan Documents

• Northern Piedmont Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan of 2015 - General Plan
• Northern Piedmont Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan of 2015 -Appendix
• Northern Piedmont Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan of 2015 -Forsyth County Appendix
• Forsyth County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan of 2010 (PDF)
  For security reasons, tables and maps were intentionally excluded from Appendix B.
• 2011 Hazard Mitigation Plan Progress Report (PDF)
• 2012-2013 Hazard Mitigation Plan Progress Report (PDF) | Table II-2 2013 Update (PDF)
• 2014 Hazard Mitigation Plan Progress Report (PDF)

For more information concerning the Hazard Mitigation Plan, please contact the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management at 336-17-7070.