Have you ever been perplexed by hazard mitigation plan (HMP) requirements? Is your jurisdiction’s HMP expired? Is your jurisdiction lacking resources to get the plan done? Do you have ideas for how the process could be improved? Do you wish your HMP had a broader impact on your community?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you are invited to express your interest to participate in a research study that is being conducted by the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program at the University of Oklahoma and the National Hazard Mitigation Association. In this study you will have the opportunity to provide input that may affect future FEMA HMP resources, tools, and training.

We are looking for participants to be involved in five cohorts that cover the following geographical areas: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Expected Time Commitment: If you are selected to participate, you will be expected to be involved for a period of about two years. But, your actual time commitment will be about 24 (non-consecutive) hours. The key events in which you will be expected to participate include:

• 2-hour virtual meeting (May 2023)
• 2-hour virtual meeting (Summer 2023)
• ¾ day in-person meeting within each cohort’s geographical area (Fall 2023)
• ½ day virtual meeting (Spring 2024)

Specific meeting dates will be determined by the availability of the participants in each cohort. Mileage cost reimbursement and food will be provided for the in-person meeting.

Criteria for Inclusion: We are looking for planners, emergency managers, city/town managers, consultants, council of governments, county/parish, and related officials who work in or with low-capacity communities on hazard mitigation planning and have a strong desire to help communities take action against the hazards with which they face. There is no single definition of a low-capacity community, but generally speaking it includes communities that lack expertise to apply for and manage federal grants or lack technical expertise (e.g., engineering, GIS, natural hazards), resources, or political or public support. We are seeking a mix of private and public sector participants who work in or with a municipality or county/parish that has limited capacity to develop and carry out hazard mitigation planning and implementation. Ideally, participants should have past experience being involved in a hazard mitigation planning process.

Interested in participating in one of the five cohorts? Move to the next section to fill out the interest form. We will accept submissions through April 12th, 2023. You will be notified of your inclusion in the study by April 19th. A 30-minute informational webinar was hosted on March 17th. Visit www.southernclimate.org to view the recorded webinar. Please direct all inquiries to Darrian Bertrand at dbertrand@ou.edu or 405-325-6321.