Westfield residents, business owners, stakeholders and representatives from surrounding communities are invited to provide comments on the update of the City of Westfield's Hazard Mitigation Plan on Wednesday, August 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Westfield City Hall (Room 201) on 59 Court Street.  All members of the public are welcome to attend the event. Local businesses, residents of neighboring communities, and municipal officials of neighboring communities are also encouraged to attend and provide their feedback.

The meeting will include an introduction to the Hazard Mitigation planning process, a summary of existing mitigation initiatives, and an overview of past hazards in the City. Municipal officials and PVPC staff will be available to answer questions and listen to comments.

The plan is being produced by the City with assistance from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). This planning effort is being undertaken to help the City of Westfield assess the risks faced from natural hazards, identify action steps that can be taken to prevent damage to property and loss of life, and prioritize funding for mitigation efforts. A mitigation action is any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards.

For more information, please contact PVPC's Ashley Eaton at aeaton@pvpc.org or (413) 781-6045.