2015 Activities and Initiatives
- The website was updated with new contact information, and additional content throughout the year.
- In February, the Mitigation Committee offered the first lunch and learn entitled Bringing Your Hazard Mitigation Plan to Life. A copy of the presentation can be downloaded here.
- In May, a second lunch and learn was offered on the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s grant programs. A copy of the presentation can be downloaded here.
- In July, a third lunch and learn was offered on the City of Baltimore’s Comprehensive Planning Creates Exceptional Disaster Preparedness Plan.
- 11th annual conference scheduled for Thursday, October 15, 2015 at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute, Linthicum Heights, Maryland.
- In December, a fourth lunch and learn was offered by the Maryland Historical Trust on Protecting Historic Buildings from Flooding.
Lunch and Learn: City of Baltimore’s Comprehensive Planning Creates Exceptional Disaster Preparedness Plan
On July 16, 2015, MAFSM hosted its third Lunch and Learn session on Baltimore City’s comprehensive hazard mitigation plan. The speaker was Kristin Baja with the City’s Office of Sustainability.
The hour-long talk was given via Webex and conference call and was pre-approved by ASFPM for one CEC to help maintain CFM certification. MAFSM would like to extend our sincere thanks to Kristin for her time.
A description of the presentation and the presenter biography can be found below.
Brief description:
In compliance with the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, Baltimore has undertaken a thorough, forward-thinking approach to the hazard mitigation planning process. Instead of a routine All Hazards Mitigation Plan update, the City integrated hazard mitigation and climate adaptation into one comprehensive plan. In this lunch and learn, Kristin Baja will discuss the process for developing the City’s Disaster Preparedness Plan and explain how the Plan is being used to assess existing hazards while preparing for predicted hazards. Kristin will also explain how city planners developed a zone called the “Flood Resilience Area” that allows the City to regulate development and redevelopment to the new 500-year floodplain line and explain how the Plan has led to other floodplain and stormwater related changes.
Presenter bio:
Kristin Baja is the Climate and Resilience Planner with the Office of Sustainability at Baltimore City. She is responsible for development and implementation of the City’s Disaster Preparedness Project and Plan (DP3) which integrates climate adaptation with hazard mitigation efforts. She is also responsible for climate change communication and outreach, Community Rating System certification, resiliency planning, and STAR Communities certification. She is an active member of the Climate Communications Consortium of Maryland, American Society of Adaptation Professionals, and the Baltimore City Forestry Board. Kristin holds a Master of Urban Planning degree and a Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan.
