Westport Residents Review New Disaster Prevention Strategy

The Western Connecticut Council of Governments is accepting public comments on a draft regional hazard mitigation plan that covers the period from 2026 to 2031. This update is designed to reduce property damage and prevent loss of life across the region in the event of natural disasters.

The plan addresses seven specific threats: floods, severe wind events, winter storms, wildfires, droughts, extreme heat events, and earthquakes. Town of Westport officials announced that all 18 communities in the region collaborated with WestCOG to develop this new strategy.

Hazard mitigation plans are required to be updated every five years. Maintaining a current plan allows communities to qualify for federal and state mitigation grants. The existing plan remains active until December 2026, at which point the new document will take effect if approved.

The update consists of a regional document and separate municipal annexes. Residents in Westport can review the draft regional plan and the specific Westport annex on the hazard mitigation planning webpage. The webpage does not list a deadline for submitting feedback.

Interested residents are asked to email their comments directly to Michael Towle, WestCOG’s deputy director. The designated email address for submissions is mtowle@westcog.org. This process follows a public webinar held by WestCOG to discuss the planning update.