Any jurisdiction or organization may participate in the planning process. However, to obtain FEMA approval, each of the local jurisdictions must meet all of the requirements of 44 CFR §201.6. In addition to the requirement for participation in the process, federal regulations specify the following requirements for multi-jurisdictional plans:
- The risk assessment must assess each jurisdiction’s risk where they may vary from the risks facing the entire planning area. (44 CFR §201.6(c)(2)(iii))
- There must be identifiable action items specific to each jurisdiction requesting FEMA approval or credit of the plan. (44 CFR §201.6(c)(3)(iv))
- Each jurisdiction requesting approval of the plan must document that is has been formally adopted. (44 CFR §201.6(c)(5))
The mitigation plan must clearly list the jurisdictions that participated in the plan and are seeking plan approval. It is also helpful to include a map showing the jurisdictional boundaries of the planning area.
Multi-Jurisdictional Benefits and Challenges
Multi-jurisdictional planning processes can offer the following advantages:
- Improves communication and coordination among jurisdictions and other regional entities
- Enables comprehensive mitigation approaches to reduce risks that affect multiple jurisdictions
- Maximizes economies of scale by leveraging individual capabilities and sharing costs and resources
- Avoids duplication of efforts
- Provides an organizational structure that local jurisdictions may find supportive
While offering these potential benefits, a multi-jurisdictional planning process can also present the following disadvantages:
- Reduces individual control and ownership over the mitigation planning process
- Involves coordinating participation of multiple jurisdictions, which may have different capabilities, priorities, and histories working together
- Requires specific information on local risks and mitigation actions for each jurisdiction
- Requires the organization of large amounts of information into a single plan document