Council Recap: Drafted update of LHMP
Published on May 28, 2025
At their Tuesday, May 27 meeting, the City Council received and filed the report on the draft of the five-year update to Lakewood’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP).
The LHMP (required to be updated every five years) is designed to strengthen community resilience by reducing vulnerability to damage and loss or disruption caused by natural or human-made hazards and serves as a critical guide for municipalities.
The report was presented by Risk Management Professionals (RMP), a consulting firm experienced in writing hazard mitigation plans.
The project is divided into four phases:
- Steering Committee
- Public Engagement
- Draft Plan
- Submission, Approval & Adoption
During the steering committee phase, a group of stakeholders comprised of city staff and community organizations engaged in monthly meetings with RMP to identify and rank hazards, assess the potential impacts upon the community, define the goals and objectives of the plan, conduct a vulnerability assessment of the city’s assets, determine mitigation actions for each identified hazard and complete a benefit-cost analysis to assess feasibility of the mitigation actions.
Lakewood residents were invited to a community meeting this past March to provide feedback on Lakewood’s LHMP, seeking those with valuable firsthand knowledge of local hazards and vulnerabilities to share their insights to help the city identify these issues. The city can use this kind of input to evaluate the risks posed by various hazards, identify community vulnerabilities and catalog available resources for risk reduction. This information also helps craft strategies to address the unique needs of the Lakewood community and to protect lives and property during disasters.
Currently, the project is in the draft plan phase where the work of the steering committee and input from the community are incorporated in the plan.
Municipalities are required to develop and periodically update their LHMPs, which must undergo review by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and receive approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
After a review process that can take up to six months or longer, the final approved plan will be presented to Lakewood City Council for adoption, and the updated plan will be shared on the city's website.