Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

About the Groton Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Project

Hazard mitigation planning is important because it enables municipalities to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural hazards and develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events. A hazard mitigation plan should be considered a living document that must grow and adapt just as a community does. Communities must update their hazard mitigation plans every five years to remain eligible for certain non-emergency disaster assistance.

Further information is available on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Planning website: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/hazard-mitigation-planning.

FEMA defines hazard mitigation as: A series of actions and policies designed to reduce and/or eliminate the impacts of naturally occurring disasters on people and property.

The approach to this plan development is premised on four primary activities geared towards meeting the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000:

Planning Process – outreach and stakeholder coordination
Risk Assessment – identifying hazards and estimating losses
Mitigation Strategy – identifying mitigation actions and implementation strategies
Plan maintenance – implementation, evaluation, and revision/update processes

The Town of Groton has hired the Horsley Witten Group, Inc., to assist with the development of the 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.

Announcements

Public Workshop #1 - March 24, 2026

The first public workshop took place on March 25, 2026 and focused on introducing the project and providing background information on hazard mitigation planning. Materials from the workshop are available below, including the presentation slides, maps, and the 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan “Report Card,” which documents the Town’s progress on implementation actions from the 2020 plan.

If you were unable to attend the first public workshop, a recording of the presentation is available on the Groton Channel at Groton Channel Stream

Presention slides can be viewed at https://grotonma.gov/hazardmitigationpresentation1

Draft 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Comment Period

The draft 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update is available for public review and comment from [Day] through Tuesday, October 6, 2026.

Please email all comments directly to Kellie King, Project Manager at kking@horsleywitten.com by October 6 at 5 PM.

Public Workshop #2 - October 1, 2026

A public workshop will be held on October 1, 2026 at 6 PM in the First Floor Meeting Room at Groton Town Hall. The Town has been working over the past year to update the 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan.

This workshop will review the planning process to update the plan and review the hazard mitigation strategies included in the draft 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Project Contacts

Rachael Mead

Town of Groton

Deputy Chief, Police Department

rmead@grotonma.gov

Kellie King

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Project Manager / Environmental Planner

kking@horsleywitten.com

(978) 448-1100

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Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

About the Groton Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Project

Announcements

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