State Hazard Mitigation Team
Background
The Ohio State Hazard Mitigation Team (SHMT) was formed in 1997 and meets semi-annually and as needed by necessity of disasters. This interagency / interorganizational team is chaired by the State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO) and the core membership of the State Mitigation Team consists of representatives from the following entities:
- Ohio Department of Development (ODOD)
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
- Ohio Emergency Management Agency (OEMA)
- Emergency Management Association of Ohio (EMAO)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- Additional Federal/state/local organization representatives as determined by the nature of a particular disaster event and/or grant program focus.
The Role of the SHMT
The role of the SHMT is twofold: to facilitate a collaborative discussion of mitigation policies, programs, and procedures in Ohio, and to have a mechanism for efficiently and objectively review project applications for many of FEMA's hazard mitigation programs. In recent years - due to the large number of disasters, the SHMT has almost exclusively focused on the latter - reviewing all mitigation applications for eligibility for federal and state funding, program eligibility, community compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and compliance with the priorities outlined in the State Mitigation Plan. However, with the creation and implementation of the State of Ohio Enhanced Mitigation Plan, there is a renewed need for a broader policy discussion.