Town of Douglas, MA

Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

UPDATE (September 1, 2025)

The draft Douglas Hazard Mitigation Plan will be available for public review and comment from Monday, September 1, 2025, through Friday, September 12, 2025. 

You may view the draft of the plan by clicking on '2025 Plan' to the left.

Please provide all comments directly to Craig Pereira, Project Manager at cpereira@horsleywitten.com by Friday, September 12, 2025.

The second Public Workshop/Public Hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at the Douglas Municipal Center – Resource Room (29 Depot Street) at 7:00 pm.  

Virtual/Zoom Option: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83149473611

Meeting ID: 831 4947 3611

The FEMA defines hazard mitigation as:

A series of actions and policies designed to reduce and/or eliminate 

the impacts of naturally occurring disasters on people and property.

About the Douglas Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

The Town of Douglas has hired the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. to assist with the development of the 2017 Hazard Mitigation Plan update.

Why is this important? Hazard mitigation planning enables municipalities to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural hazards and develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events. Further information is available on FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Planning page:  http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning.

A hazard mitigation plan should be considered a living document that must grow and adapt, keeping pace with a community’s growth and change. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA) places high priority on the continuation of the planning process after the initial submittal, requiring communities to seek and receive re-approval from FEMA in order to remain eligible for financial assistance.

The approach for this plan development is premised on four primary methods, all geared towards meeting the requirements of the DMA 2000 Public Law 106-390, October 10, 2000:

        Planning Process—Outreach and Stakeholder Coordination

        Risk Assessment—Identifying Hazards and Estimating Losses

        Mitigation Strategy— Identifying Mitigation Actions and Implementation Strategies

        Plan Maintenance—Implementation, Evaluation and Revision/Update

Contacts

Kelly G. Manning

Town of Douglas

Deputy Fire Chief, Emergency Management Director

kmanning@douglas-ma.gov                        

(508) 476-2267, ext. 301     

Craig Pereira

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Project Manager

cpereira@horsleywitten.com 

(401) 263-6048  

 Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved!