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Resilient Westchester County

Understanding Hazard Mitigation

Hazard Mitigation Plans establish the foundation for a community’s long-term strategy to break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated loss. Disasters can cause loss of life, destroy buildings and infrastructure, and have serious economic, social, and environmental impacts. According to the Code of Federal Regulations (44 CFR 201.2), hazard mitigation is defined as “sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and their property from hazards.”
Mitigation planning identifies durable policies and actions that help communities reduce risk and limit future losses from disasters.

Breaking the Cycle of Destruction

When disasters such as riverine or coastal flooding repeatedly damage the same areas, and the recovery efforts only restore conditions to what existed before, the community becomes trapped in a costly cycle of damage and reconstruction. Each recovery becomes more expensive as impacts accumulate over time.

A comprehensive hazard mitigation plan interrupts this cycle by identifying strategies that reduce both immediate and future risks. Implementing mitigation actions helps communities rebuild stronger, safer, and smarter in order to minimize injuries and damage, speeding recovery, and supporting long-term resilience.

Mitigation Planning

Effective mitigation planning requires a forward-looking, comprehensive approach. Policies and actions are developed through an assessment of local hazards, vulnerabilities, and risks, and rely on broad participation from stakeholders, municipal officials, and the public. The result is a plan that guides long-term investments, land use decisions, and community resilience initiatives.

Countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan

Westchester County, in partnership with Westchester municipalities, has developed a countywide, multi-jurisdictional multi-hazard mitigation plan. The plan identifies and assesses a variety of natural and man-made hazards and describes mitigation strategies and action items to reduce future damages and better prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. This plan is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for grant funding. The countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan is currently being updated. For information on the process, content and status, as well as to submit questions and comments, please visit Westchester County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2021 Update.

The countywide plan is currently being updated and prepared for migration into the Mitigate NY platform. More information on the planning process, including opportunities to submit questions and comments, will be available as the transition continues.

Transition to Mitigate NY

Westchester County is currently transitioning its Hazard Mitigation Plan to the Mitigate NY platform, New York State’s new online platform for hazard mitigation planning. Mitigate NY provides a streamlined, user-friendly, and transparent system for counties and municipalities to share information, track mitigation actions, and engage the public. Moving to this platform will:

As the County migrates to Mitigate NY, communities will be able to access real-time information on hazards, vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies, helping local leaders make informed resilience decisions.

  • Enhance coordination among Westchester municipalities
  • Improve data accessibility and consistency
  • Strengthen public engagement through centralized online tools
  • Support more efficient updates and long-term maintenance of the plan

As the County migrates to Mitigate NY, communities will be able to access real-time information on hazards, vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies, helping local leaders make informed resilience decisions.

 The Department of Planning’s Role

The Westchester County Department of Planning plays a central role in advancing community resilience. The Department works to integrate land use planning with hazard mitigation planning, ensuring that development decisions, zoning, infrastructure investments, and environmental strategies directly support risk reduction. By strengthening these connections, the Planning Department helps municipalities:

  • Reduce exposure to hazards through better land use approaches
  • Incorporate resilience principles into comprehensive plans and local codes
  • Coordinate regional mitigation priorities
  • Foster collaboration across jurisdictions and with state and federal partners
  • This integrated approach ensures that hazard mitigation is not just an emergency management activity, but a core component of sustainable, long-term community planning.

Resources for Planners

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides many resources for community officials involved in preparing and implementing hazard mitigation plans. In conjunction with the 2015 resiliency workshops, FEMA produced a comprehensive list of resources, including resources specific to Westchester, with hyperlinks to external Web sites and publications. Some of the more pertinent guidance documents and information resources from FEMA for land use planners are listed below.

The county has produced guidance documents and held workshops associated with hazard mitigation planning, such as:

 The American Planning Association has a hazard mitigation division that provides resources for municipal planners. Among those resources are:

For more information about hazards of concern, emergency preparedness, available resources and training opportunities in Westchester County, visit Department of Emergency Services. 

Flood Mitigation Program

Program Overview

The county enacted a Stormwater Management Law in 2011 requiring the county to assess current conditions and identify cost-effective projects to directly address flooding and flood damage and impacts in Westchester communities. County projects to lessen the risks and impacts associated with flooding will also be guided by these plans. A Stormwater Advisory Board created under the law began meeting in 2012 and is advising the county on flood-related matters, including the development of the reconnaissance plans and flood mitigation projects funded under the law.

County Stormwater Management Law formalized a partnership program whereby Westchester County may provide funding assistance to partnering municipalities for flood mitigation or flood damage reduction projects. Projects must be included in stormwater reconnaissance plans approved by the Board of Legislators. The reconnaissance plans are prepared by the County departments of Planning and Public Works and Transportation for each major drainage basin. The flood mitigation program provides up to 50% matching funds for eligible projects. Projects must not create or exacerbate flooding elsewhere and should have a demonstrated flood mitigation benefit. Note that the funding application process is lengthy and typically takes six months or more. Working with the municipalities in each of these watersheds as well as the county's Department of Public Works and Transportation, Planning has completed all five reconnaissance plans, and they have been approved by the Westchester County Board of Legislators:

(1) Stormwater Reconnaissance Plan for the Saw Mill River-Pocantico River Watershed (December 2012)
(2) Stormwater Reconnaissance Plan for the Bronx River Watershed (April 2013)
(3) Stormwater Reconnaissance Plan for the Coastal Long Island Sound Watershed (August 2013)
(4) Stormwater Reconnaissance Plan for the Peekskill-Haverstraw Bay Watershed (March 2014)
(5) Stormwater Reconnaissance Plan for the Croton River and Inland Long Island Sound Watersheds (July 2014)

Funding can be utilized for the preparation of engineering and design for a flood mitigation project to include the preparation of detailed construction plans and specifications necessary for bidding purposes. Program resources can also be used for construction of the project. An operation and maintenance plan will be prepared during the development of detailed construction plans. All operation and maintenance activities will be a condition of the IMA and all associated O&M costs will be the responsibility of the municipality.