• Surveys & Outreach
• Important Dates
• What is a Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP)
• What Does the HMP Do?
• 2026 HMP Update Overview
• 2020 Final Plan
• Meeting Materials
• Contact
• Previously Adopted HMP
• HMP Archive
• Resources

The Lycoming County Department of Planning and Community Development updates the Lycoming County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) every five years, as required by federal law. The 2026 planning process to update the plan is underway!

Surveys & Outreach

Public Survey

We need your input! Participate in the plan update process today by taking the community survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Lycoming2026HMP

Municipal Forms

Click each form name to open an online form you can submit.

• Hazard Risk and Asset Evaluation: Provide information on risks impacting your community and assets you have.
  • Evaluation of Identified Hazards
  • Jurisdictional Risk Ranking Form
  • Community Lifelines
• Community Capabilities: Provide information on capabilities your community has to reduce hazard risk.
  • Capability Assessment
  • NFIP Survey
• Mitigation Strategy: Provide information on mitigation actions from the 2020 HMP and submit additional actions your community wants to take on for the 2026 HMP.
  • Mitigation Action Progress Forms
  • New Mitigation Action Form

General Stakeholder Form

We encourage your organization / agency / business to participate in the HMP update. The following form provides a centralized place to provide us information related to your risks and assets, vulnerable populations you interface with, capabilities to reduce risk, and potential mitigation actions you’d like to partner on.

Online form

Important Dates

Listed below are important dates for the Hazard Mitigation Plan update:

What is a Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP)

They are plans that:

• Help raise awareness of both natural and human-made hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities by identifying and analyzing them.
• Identify ways to reduce risk and focus local resources through a mitigation strategy.
• Communicate local priorities to state and federal officials.

The County’s HMP will identify and update information about the County’s hazard risks to natural and human-made hazards. The plan will also identify the people and facilities at risk and ways to prevent and minimize damage.

The HMP will be updated to:

• Meet requirements set forth by FEMA and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).
• Make the County, municipalities, and other agencies or organizations (stakeholders) eligible for funding and technical assistance from state and federal hazard mitigation programs.
  • When a federal or state disaster is declared, only counties, jurisdictions and stakeholders that have adopted and active HMPs are eligible for funding.

What Does the HMP Do?

This Hazard Mitigation Plan Update was developed for the purpose of:

• Protecting life, safety, and property by reducing the potential for future damages and economic losses that result from natural hazards’;
• Qualifying for additional grant funding, in both the pre-disaster and the post-disaster environment;
• Qualifying for additional credit under the Community Ratings System (CRS);
• Speeding recovery and redevelopment following future disaster events;
• Demonstrating a firm local commitment to hazard mitigation principles; and
• Complying with both state and federal legislative requirements for local hazard mitigation plans.
• Improving community resiliency following a disaster event.

2026 HMP Update Overview

About the project:

The Lycoming County Department of Community Development and Planning is in the process of updating the Lycoming County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). Our multi-jurisdictional HMP, which covers all 52 of our partner municipalities, must be updated every five years, and the current plan will expire in 2026. The HMP will be updated using the best and most current available information and data, updating the past risk assessment with new data and a watershed-wide approach, and evaluating and revising priorities and mitigation strategies to increase community resilience.

Objectives: 

• Provide the public opportunities throughout HMP development and drafting process to provide input.
• Update the risk assessment using the most recent disaster data and information. 
• Update hazard mitigation goals, objectives, and actions as they relate to reducing loss of life and property from natural and human-made hazards.
• Obtain state and federal approval of the updated plan.
• Work with communities to adopt the updated plan.
• Meet updated FEMA policy on local mitigation planning to address considerations related to vulnerable populations and climate change impacts to hazard risk.

Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Process Summary (Six Steps):

• STEP 1: Organize Resources & Build the Planning Team Relevant studies, plans, and reports are collected along with communications resources that allow the public to be involved throughout the planning process. The Planning Team (PT) consists of local planning and emergency management staff and diverse stakeholders from government, businesses, academic institutions, adjacent counties, state agencies, and non-profit organizations.
• STEP 2: Develop the Plan’s Risk Assessment Location and geographic extent of natural and human-made hazards that can affect the county along with their impacts and future probability is identified. Scientific and anecdotal evidence of past events is collected and evaluated the losses the community has sustained and hazards are ranked using a Pennsylvania's risk factor methodology.
• STEP 3: Assess Capabilities Assessing local and county capabilities in emergency management, the National Flood Insurance Program, planning and regulatory authority, administrative and technical knowledge, and finances.
• STEP 4: Develop the Mitigation Strategy Existing goals, objectives, and actions and are evaluated and updated as needed. The PT defines appropriate mitigation techniques, and chooses and prioritizes mitigation actions and projects in the Mitigation Action Plan.
• STEP 5: Determine Plan Maintenance Process The HMP is a living document that must be reviewed, updated, and maintained annually. A schedule including responsible parties or agencies involved with monitoring, evaluating, and updating the plan during its five-year cycle is prepared. A process for integrating the updated Mitigation Strategy into existing plans and reports should be outlined and a plan for continued public outreach and participation must also be determined.
• STEP 6: Obtain Mitigation Plan Approval and Adoption The draft plan is made available for public comment then submitted to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review and approval. Once a Plan has been determined to meet all state and federal requirements and receives official approval from FEMA it should be adopted by all participating jurisdictions and the county.

Update Timeline

Meeting Materials

Project Kick-Off Meeting

Two meetings were held to kick-off the Lycoming County HMP update process, one in-person option on March 24, 2025, and one virtual option on March 25, 2025. This meeting provided a project overview, defined project priorities and roles and responsibilities, provided an overview of the plan update process, and covered how and when municipalities and stakeholders should participate in the planning process. Time was spent answering questions before closing each meeting. Click the following links to access the Kick-Off Meeting materials:

• Presentation
• Meeting Notes
• Meeting Recording

Risk Assessment Meeting & Workshop

Two meetings were held to assess hazards and risks for the Lycoming County HMP update process, one in-person option on June 3, 2025, and one virtual option on June 4, 2025. This meeting summarized findings from the Lycoming County’s 2020 HMP Risk Assessment, reviewed changes in hazards included in the 2026 HMP, and offered participants the opportunity to weigh in about their perception of risk in the county through the forms linked in the “Surveys & Outreach” section of this website. Time was spent answering questions and providing guidance on filling out the forms. Click the following links to access the Risk Assessment Meeting materials:

• Meeting Notes.
• Meeting Presentation.
• Meeting Recording.

Capability Assessment and Mitigation Strategy Workshop

Two meetings were held to evaluate capabilities and discuss the mitigation strategy as part of the Lycoming County HMP update process. One in-person option was held on July 14, 2025, and one virtual option was held on July 16, 2025. This meeting summarized findings from the risk assessment phase, reviewed known assets and lifelines to be included in the 2026 HMP, and asked municipalities and stakeholders to provide feedback on the county’s resources and needs for mitigating risk. Time was spent answering questions and providing guidance on filling out the forms.

Click the following links to access the Capability and Mitigation Workshop materials:

• Meeting Notes.
• Meeting Presentation.
• Meeting Recording.

Community Open House

On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, a Community Open House was held at the Lycoming County Government Building. Community members were invited to learn about the HMP process, understand what the process has entailed so far, and provide feedback about their experiences with hazards in Lycoming County using large maps and feedback forms. Representatives from Lycoming County were available to answer questions.

Click the following links to access the Community Open House materials:

• Hazard sheet.
• Survey handout.
• FAQ handout.

Forms

Draft Plan Review: Provide feedback on the draft plan. The comment period will be open from November 18, 2025 through December 18, 2025.

• Draft Plan Review Comment Form.

Content will be uploaded to this section as products become available.

Contact 

Interested parties submit written comments about this plan to the following staff contact:

Hazard Reduction Planner
Mail: 48 West Third Street, Williamsport, PA 17701
Telephone: (570) 320-2133
Fax: (570) 320-2135
Email: kgreen@lyco.org

Previously Adopted HMP

[Click to Download Plan]

• Appendix A - Bibliography
• Appendix B - Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool
• Appendix E - Landslide Vulnerability Maps
• Appendix G - Hazus Methodology and Reports

Plan Archive

• 2015 Hazard Mitigation Plan (Amended Sept. 2017)
  • Appendix A - Bibliography
  • Appendix B - Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool
  • Appendix F - Hazus Methodology and Results Report
  • Lycoming County was fortunate to secure additional funding after the adoption of the 2015 Lycoming County Hazard Mitigation Update to conduct an enhanced HAZUS analysis of the 1% annual-chance flood. This analysis estimates Lycoming County’s flood risk in three steps: first, it calculates the exposure for a selected area, next it characterizes the level or intensity of the hazard affecting the exposed area, and lastly it uses the exposed area and the hazard to calculate the potential losses in terms of economic losses, structural damage, etc.
  • Appendix F describes this enhanced HAZUS analysis and updated methodology. This analysis provides updated flood related loss and vulnerability information pertaining to commercial and residential structures as well as infrastructure - specifically roads and bridges.
• 2010 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
• 2004 Hazard Mitigaiton Plan (Part 1)
• 2004 Hazard Mitigaiton Plan (Part 2)

Resources

• Hazard Mitigation Planning | FEMA.gov
• FEMA Region 3 - Hazard Mitigation Planning Training and Technical Assistance Modules
• FEMA Region 3 - Local Hazard Mitigation Resources
• Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide
• Local Mitigation Planning Handbook

Mitigation Strategy Resources

• FEMA - Mitigation Best Practices
• FEMA – Mitigation Ideas: A Resource for Reducing Risk to Natural Hazards 
• FEMA - Mitigation Planning and Grants
• FEMA - Nature-Based Solutions

Mitigation Grant Resources

• PEMA – Grants Management Program
• FEMA – Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program
• FEMA – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
• FEMA - BRIC Technical Assistance

• Location Map
• Staff Contact Page
• PCD Annual Reports
• Comprehensive Plan
• COVID / CARES Act Grants

• County Zoning
• County Subdivision and Land Development
• County Planning Commission

• GIS
• UPI

• Environmental Planning
• Hazard Mitigation
• Transportation
• Community Development
• Economic Development

• Select State Websites
• Municipal Websites