During its 2019 hazard mitigation plan update, the city and county of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, held public meetings. It tapped into local and regional networks to share the messaging and boost public attendance. It then held informal community meetings to talk about the plan. The meetings featured small group breakout sessions; these helped to connect community elders with the younger generation to share mitigation ideas. The plan update committee also refreshed its messaging by:
- Adding more visual aids.
- Using plain language.
- Talking about which risks are changing and why action is so urgent.
More public forums helped spread the word. Planners also shared surveys at community gatherings, at workshops and online; about 900 people responded.
Takeaways From This Success Story
- Keep it local. Keep it topical. Honolulu tapped into several local governments, as well as state and federal partners. Local, state and federal governments gave their expertise. They also shared the messaging across their networks.
- Partner with organizations that already work on resilience. The planning team did not need to set up every meeting.
- Give many chances for the public to engage. Residents gave feedback through a survey and two public workshops.
Read the full success story, and discover other stories, on FEMA’s Mitigation Best Practices website and Hazard Mitigation Planning Success Stories Story Map.
FEMA’s National Mitigation Planning Program supports state, local, tribal and territorial governments with risk-based mitigation planning to reduce or eliminate risks to life and property from natural hazards. The program focuses on building resilience through early and often stakeholder engagement, integration with community planning, and implementation of mitigation actions. For more information, visit Hazard Mitigation Planning | FEMA.gov.
