What are the hazards facing Cranston, and how can the city best prepare to mitigate the risks to people and property?

Answering those questions will be the central focus as officials embark on a five-year update of the community’s hazard mitigation plan. As that work begins, the Planning Department is asking residents to offer their feedback to the effort through a brief online survey.

“We’re starting to break it down and look at our existing hazards in the city … We’re trying to get different perspectives,” Planning Director Jason Pezzullo said.

The five-year update of the hazard mitigation plan is part of a process required under state law. The plan, which ultimately requires city, state and FEMA approval, plays a key role in Cranston’s eligibility for grant opportunities, flood insurance programs and other funding streams.

“It’s a serious mandate,” Pezzullo said.

The subject matter dealt with in the document is also serious. Flooding, winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal erosion, drought – those natural hazards, and more, are among the areas of focus. The plan is meant to assess the likelihood of each hazard and its potential impacts, and outline steps that can be taken to prepare and limit the damage.

The 2015 plan “conservatively” estimated the value of the city’s at-risk property at a combined $1.044 billion. Among other hazards, it estimated more than 7,700 residents and nearly $600 million worth of property were at risk due to flood-prone drainage systems.

Pezzullo noted that Cranston “just missed some serious damage” from Tropical Storm Henri, which at one point had strengthened to a hurricane before weakening ahead of its landfall in Westerly. While recent years have not brought a large-scale natural disaster to the city, he said, the recent storm serves as a reminder of the value of preparation.

“The good news is we haven’t had any major events in the last five years … It’s very unpredictable, and we just need to stay on top of it,” he said.

Pezzullo said the consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, or VHB, has again been contracted to assist with the development of the hazard mitigation plan. The firm also worked on the 2015 update.

“They know the city very well,” he said. “They know what our hazards are.”

In many cases, Pezzullo said, little will change in terms of hazards that have been previously identified. But others will, and new hazards may be necessary to add to the document. That, he said, makes public input particularly important.

Pezzullo also said for this latest update, new requirements call for “a lot of the goals and objectives” in the document “to be [viewed] through the lens of sustainability at this point.” He said officials are still working to fully understand what those new requirements will entail.

The update will involve monthly meetings of an ad hoc Hazard Mitigation Committee, which gathered for the first time in early August. Pezzullo said the committee, which will meet on the first Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. in City Hall’s Council Chambers, includes “all the major players” in disaster response – city staff, public works personnel, fire and police, schools, and a member of the business community. The planning director also said there will be about five public hearings as part of the plan’s development.

The survey, which takes about three minutes to complete and includes up to 15 questions, “will help the City of Cranston identify ways to make our community safer and better prepared for, responding during and recovering after disasters,” according to an accompanying description.

The link for the survey, as well as the city’s full 2015 hazard mitigation plan, can be found at cranstonri.gov/departments/planning.

To take the survey, visit www.cranstonri.gov/departments/planning.