Williston is well prepared for emergencies and maintains a Resiliency Hub, which is a community-serving facility augmented to support residents, coordinate communication, and distribute resources during an emergency or other critical event.
Chapter 12
Hazard Mitigation
Introduction
Hazards are all around us. While we don't have control over their frequency and intensity, there are actions we can take to lessen their impact. Hazard mitigation is the practice of planning actions and strategies with the intended effect of reducing risks to people and property from known hazards.
The town developed a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, adopted by the Selectboard on October 4, 2022. The Plan is an Annex to the Chittenden County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan (HMP), approved by Vermont Emergency Management on September 13, 2022 and by FEMA in November 2023. The Plan recommends several actions (projects) that will provide mitigation for specific natural hazards - including fire, flood, severe snowstorms, drought, extreme temperatures, extreme wind events including tornadoes, and others - that impact the town, with the intended effect of protecting people and property from loss associated with those hazards and of significantly improving community resilience and sustainability.1
Adopting both the regional and the local HMP is required for the town to be eligible for federal hazard mitigation grant funds and for receiving a favorable amount of State matching funds under its Emergency Recovery Assistance Funding (ERAF) program in the event of a Federal Disaster Declaration.
This chapter summarizes and highlights the information in the Town's Hazard Mitigation Plan that is most relevant to comprehensive planning. Particularly important is how hazard mitigation planning can help the Town to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The Objectives, Strategies and Actions pay careful attention to the impacts of hazards on our most vulnerable, and how the Town can prioritize vulnerable populations and include them in hazard mitigation planning.
For a deeper dive into the town's and region's Hazard Mitigation Planning, read the 2022 Chittenden County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan and Williston Annex.
2022 Chittenden County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan. 2022. Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Winooski, Vermont. Accessed June 18 at https://www.ccrpcvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ChittendenCountyAHMPFinal_Oct2022.pdf.
Goals: In 2050, Williston is...
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Livable
...because, as the climate changes and weather events become increasingly unpredictable and violent, Williston communicates clearly and often about the state of the town's preparedness and the steps being taken to protect against such events. To ensure that the town meets the defined qualities of livability, it carefully plans its development model to balance growth and population against the town's ability to deliver the services necessary to ensure that the four tenets of the livable commitment—affordable, welcoming, sociable, and beautiful—are met.
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Resilient
...because Town planning, in conjunction with other town and state agencies, will monitor and develop actions required to improve and maintain Williston's ability to respond to threats when they occur. This process of "reverse-engineering the future" includes assessing the vulnerability of critical road infrastructure; taking steps to "harden" power and telecommunications infrastructure, including the possibility of burying aerial utilities that are vulnerable to wind and ice load; creating a plan to deal with a possible disruption of the power grid; moving or hardening critical infrastructure, plant and buildings that are vulnerable to extreme flooding events; and other eventualities that come up in the town's ongoing what-if scenario planning exercises. Through careful and deliberate planning, Williston has a process in place to continually monitor and assess the town's threat horizon. Through regularly conducted what-if scenario exercises, the town's various agencies and town residents engage jointly to assess the potential impact of a wide range of potential threat scenarios.
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Equitable
...because Williston's plan for dealing with natural disasters will be a town plan, meant to serve the entire community with special attention paid to the most vulnerable members of the community. These include elderly people, people with disabilities, people with medical needs, people with limited mobility who may rely on social services. Vulnerable populations are more susceptible to the impacts of disasters and may experience more long-term effects with a loss of their social support networks, in addition to the disruption brought about by the natural disaster itself. Other residents may be considered vulnerable due to their everyday living conditions or based on their proximity to hazard-prone areas. Vulnerable populations are invited to participate in planning, and they are prioritized in emergency preparedness and response.
Three Things to Know
1
HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING HELPS THE TOWN ADAPT TO A CHANGING CLIMATE
The Hazard Mitigation Plan considers the potential impact of climate change on the hazards the Plan addresses.
2
EPIDEMICS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE ARE INCREASINGLY PROMINENT HAZARDS
The COVID 19 pandemic raised awareness of infectious disease hazards. Williston's people and the town administration learned much from its recent lived experience with COVID 19. Having a comprehensive and robust response strategy will make the town better prepared to face future pandemics.
3
WILLISTON HAS DONE COMMENDABLE WORK IN ITS PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF HAZARD MITIGATION
The Town has built flood resilience through its land use regulations, conservation and stormwater programs; adopted and is implementing an Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan; maintains a Hazard Mitigation Plan and a Local Emergency Operations Plan.
Three Things Public Engagement Told Us
1
PEOPLE VALUE WILLISTON'S PUBLIC WORKS AND PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES.
People expressed appreciation for the Williston's Fire and Police Departments, and Department of Public Works' winter road maintenance and efficient plowing after snowstorms.
2
STORMWATER RUNOFF IS A CHALLENGE TO THE TOWN'S FLOOD RESILIENCY.
Related to energy and climate, impervious surfaces and stormwater runoff was noted as a contributing factor to flooding, and flood resiliency in general was noted as a challenge for the town.
3
ENERGY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE SHOULD BE THE TOWN'S #1 PRIORITY.
People voiced that the town should prioritize building infrastructure resilient to severe weather and the town should improve its "temperature resilience." In the Roundtable activities, 41% of participants noted that energy and climate resilience should be the town's #1 priority.
Hazard Mitigation Planning Helps the Town Adapt to a Changing Climate
The Hazard Mitigation Plan considers the potential impact of climate change on the hazards the Plan addresses, using information from the 2021 Vermont Climate Change Study, a report developed by the University of Vermont (UVM) Gund Institute for the Environment in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and the Norman Foundation.2
Among other findings, the study reports that the state's average annual temperature has warmed by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit, and precipitation has increased by 21 percent, since 1900. Vermont now experiences 2.4 more days per year of heavy precipitation than in the 1960s, mostly in the summer. With flooding events expected to increase because of increased rain and higher water tables, improved stormwater infrastructure and planning is required to reduce damage to homes, businesses, roads, bridges, and farm fields.
It isn't just the level of water that is an issue: temperature also plays a critical role in ecosystem health. Warming waters will have adverse effects on lakes and rivers, including reduced biodiversity and increased risk of harmful algal blooms which will impact beaches, swimming, and other lake activities.
Climate-related health impacts include greater risk of heat exposure, diseases from ticks and mosquitoes, water-borne bacterial or algal infections, inhalation of wildfire smoke, and other consequences of natural disasters. These threaten some populations more than others, highlighting the unequal burden of climate impacts of people who are over 65, from marginalized communities, or who have underlying medical conditions.
Despite these negative impacts, Vermont's warming climate will remain attractive compared to many regions. We can expect an increase in "climate refugees" as rising temperatures nationwide draw people to Vermont looking to escape extreme heat. There is already anecdotal evidence of this in Williston.
The objectives and strategies listed at the end of this chapter are written with climate change impacts at the forefront. For example, stormwater management is an important focus of the HMP, to reduce the risks of flooding.
Basil Waugh, University of Vermont Gund Institute for the Environment, Vermont Climate Assessment: Climate Change is here. Accessed June 16, 2024 at: https://www.uvm.edu/news/gund/Vermont-getting-warmerandwetter-climate-change-study.
Epidemics and Infectious Disease are Increasingly Prominent Hazards
The COVID 19 pandemic, which began in early 2020 and lasted through 2022, was a wake-up call. We were unprepared for a disaster of this magnitude, with catastrophic and devastating public health consequences. By June 2022, the U.S. had recorded over 84 million COVID-19 infections and more than one million deaths from COVID-19.3
COVID revealed the inequities in our society. The pandemic had a disparate effect on populations, depending on your profession, age, race, living situation, and the state and local policies where you live. "Front line" workers providing essential services like grocery stores, farms, health care, etc. and who largely kept working through the pandemic, were at high risk of exposure; while people working in other professions had the option to work at home and were therefore at much lower risk. The very old, many of whom have compromised immune systems and underlying medical conditions and live in congregate settings, were at very high risk from the disease. African American/Black, Native American and Hispanic people were more at risk of dying from COVID than were Caucasian people.
CDC Museum COVID-19 Timeline. David J. Sencer CDC Museum: In Association with the Smithsonian Institution. Accessed On June 19, 2024 at https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html.
Because of strong leadership, rapid response and smart policies at all levels (state, municipal, and local volunteers), Vermont did not fare nearly as badly as other states. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality disproportionally impacted older people and people with underlying medical conditions. Therefore, measures were put in place to protect these more vulnerable populations, including masking, non-essential business closures and stay-at-home orders. These measures likely limited disease transmission. Cumulative COVID-19 deaths in Vermont as of January 2025 were reported as 1,255 or 143.3 per 100,000 people, the second lowest death rate in the country.4
However, this tells only part of the impact. The impact on Williston and the surrounding area was essentially a microcosm of what happened at the state and national levels. The necessary isolation brought about by the disease resulted in widespread negative impacts to local businesses that depend on in-person engagement (retailers, restaurants, hotels, etc.), which in turn had a negative impact on employment. The trickle-down effect was economically devastating for many. Further, essential services were disrupted to various degrees, as enforced isolation, social distancing, and the inability to work because of enforced (and necessary) isolation made it difficult if not impossible to provide these services. Equally impactful, but less quantifiable, was the social damage done to kids who were unable to attend school, instead depending on home-schooling and remote teleconferencing, and to people who were isolated to begin with because of illness, disease or infirmity.
COVID 19 raised awareness of the significant risks and vulnerabilities posed by epidemic and infectious disease outbreaks. Of course, the spread of infectious diseases that affects large populations is not limited to COVID-19. Others include zoonotic diseases (spread from animals to humans) such as salmonella or rabies; vector-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and Lyme Disease; and viral diseases such as Influenza, Coronavirus, Ebola, Measles, Mumps and Smallpox.5 The Hazard Mitigation Plan now elevates this category of hazard. Williston's people and the town administration learned much from its recent lived experience with COVID 19. Having a comprehensive and robust response strategy will make the town better prepared to face future pandemics.
Vermont Department of Health. Weekly COVID-19 Surveillance Report – June 19, 2024. Accessed on June 19, 2024 at https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/document/COVID-19-Surveillance-report-20240619.pdf.
2022 Chittenden County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan. 2022. Annex 17: Town of Williston. Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Winooski, Vermont. Accessed June 18 at https://www.ccrpcvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Annex-17-Town-of-Williston_Adopted.pdf.
Extreme Heat
Extreme heat conditions are becoming more common as the planet warms. In Vermont, normally cooler than most of the United States during the hot summer months, the climate has changed – it is now noticeably hotter. This has serious health ramifications as most older homes were not built with air conditioners, and people living in those homes often have difficulties staying cool during times of warmer weather. According to the Vermont Department of Health, older adults living alone, those with less education, and those with fewer economic resources are often less able to find relief during summer heat events.6
Extreme heat disproportionally impacts unhoused people and people living in substandard housing, as well as landscapers, construction workers, farmworkers and others whose occupations require them to be outdoors or in unconditioned spaces. According to the National Weather Service, heat now kills more people in the U.S. each year than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined.7
Extreme heat can also affect crops or livestock in the region by evaporating the water source used to hydrate them and causing body temperatures to rise higher than safe levels. These high heat conditions can also affect water supplies for crops by removing moisture from the soil and causing drought or drought-like conditions that, if prolonged, can cause long term damage to the economy through crop reduction or outright loss.
Vermont Department of Health. Heat Vulnerability in Vermont: Local Indicators of Heat Illness Risk. May 2016. Accessed on June 19, 2024 at https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2016/12/ENV_EPHT_heat_vulnerability_in_VT_0.pdf.
Megan Lim, Katia Riddle, Sacha Pfeiffer. Petition pushes FEMA to classify extreme heat and wildfire smoke as 'major disasters'. National Public Radio, All Things Considered. June 18, 2024. Accessed June 19, 2024 at https://www.npr.org/2024/06/18/nx-s1-5010416/petition-pushes-fema-to-classify-extreme-heat-and-wildfire-smoke-as-major-disasters.
Thirty environmental, healthcare and labor groups recently filed a petition urging federal government to include heat (and wildfire smoke) in its definition of "major disaster."8 While the frequency and intensity of these phenomena has risen sharply in recent years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) refuses to acknowledge that they are qualifying major disasters under the Stafford Act (the enabling statute for FEMA). Recognizing heat and wildfire smoke as disasters would open funding opportunities for critically needed services to mitigate these hazards.
Ibid.
Invasive Species
An invasive species is any living organism such as a bacterium, protist, fungus, plant, or animal, that has been introduced to an environment where it is not native, and that has since become an environmental or economic nuisance through rapid spread and increase in numbers, often to the detriment of native species.9
While the regional Hazard Mitigation Plan goes into much detail about many invasive species on land and in water, we will focus on one species – the Emerald Ash Borer – that has already caused the town to expend many resources to mitigate this hazard.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia. The Emerald Ash Borer feeds and lives in all species of ash. The EAB is a significant threat to Vermont's ash trees as five percent of the state's trees are ash. Most ash trees infested with EAB will die, which poses a threat to Vermont's economy and ecology. It spreads very quickly, is difficult to detect, and eradication is not expected.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was first discovered in Orange County, Vermont in February 2018. As of March 2022, EAB was detected in Chittenden County, in the Town of Richmond in October 2020, followed by a detection in Colchester in May 2021.10
In anticipation of the arrival of EAB, the Town of Williston developed and adopted an Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan in 2015. The Plan was developed with assistance from the Williston Conservation Commission, Town of Williston Public Works, Chittenden County Forester, and the Vermont Departments of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. The purpose of the EAB preparedness plan is to mitigate the effects of the pest when it arrives in Williston. This involves addressing public safety concerns and minimizing the impact on the towns' budget and public works manpower. The town Department of Public Works has implemented the mitigation actions in the Plan with grant funding from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. These actions include removal and replacement of ash street trees, prioritizing the areas where they are most heavily concentrated, and preserving culturally important ash trees such as those located in public parks and greens, by injecting the trees with insecticide.11
United States Department of Agriculture, National Invasive Species Information Center. Accessed June 20, 2024 at https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/what-are-invasive-species.
2022 Chittenden County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan. 2022. Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Winooski, Vermont. Accessed June 18 at https://www.ccrpcvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ChittendenCountyAHMPFinal_Oct2022.pdf.
Williston Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan. 2015. Williston, Vermont. Accessed on June 20, 2024 at https://www.town.williston.vt.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={9AC5DE33-0817-4533-A2A4-AA8301D75C81}&DE={29FACCA4-2A96-4E31-B397-55B1E6302FBA}.
Town Mitigation Actions
Critical assets that help the town to withstand impacts from the hazards listed above but also vulnerable to those hazards include its people – Town officials, staff, volunteers, Road Crew, Fire and Police Departments and the general public; roads and bridges that ensure safe travel; and municipal buildings including Town offices, Town garage, Fire Station, Police Station, Town Hall and Library.
Fortunately, due to good planning, none of the town's critical facilities and very few other structures (15 in total) are located within Special Flood Hazard Areas or River Corridors. The town should continue to support efforts to safeguard these structures, relocate them out of the floodplain, or "buy them out" using FEMA hazard mitigation funds.
Some hazard mitigation actions the town has taken include:
- Building flood resilience through provisions in the town's Land Use regulations:
- Watershed protection buffers for all streams, ponds, Class 2 wetlands and Lake Iroquois. Development is prohibited in watershed protection buffers and land in those buffers is required to remain undisturbed and in its natural state.
- Williston Development Bylaws Chapter 28 regulates development in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). All new development, with minor exceptions, is prohibited in the SFHA.
- Under the standards of Williston Development Bylaws Chapter 28, any permitted development including nonconforming uses and structures currently located in the SFHA must be reasonably safe from flooding and designed to prevent floatation, collapse or lateral movement during the occurrence of the base flood. This includes using materials resistant to flood damage and using construction practices that minimize flood damage; protecting utilities from flood damage, flood proofing basements, and protecting water supply and wastewater systems.
- The town undertook a process in the late 1990s to identify key conservation areas that should not be developed, and subsequently incorporated those identified areas into the town's Unified Development Bylaw's regulatory framework.
- Subdivisions in the Agricultural Residential Zoning District that involve a parcel of land greater than 10.5 acres are required to set aside 75% of the parent parcel as protected open space. This protected land provides valuable flood attenuation.
- Protection and restoration of floodplains and upland forested areas that attenuate and moderate flooding and fluvial erosion.
- Using its Environmental Reserve Fund and leveraging other funding, the town has conserved over 2,000 acres, including many forested upland areas.
- Williston has completed several major restoration projects on the Sucker Brook and the Allen Brook, and to a lesser degree, the Muddy Brook. The town will continue to monitor these projects.
- Williston has an aggressive and detailed stormwater management program, outlined in the Watershed Health chapter of this Plan. It should be noted that stormwater treatment standards required under Vermont law are designed to capture 90% of the annual storm events and to safely "pass" a 100-year storm event, meaning that even well-designed stormwater infrastructure won't prevent flooding in an extreme event.
- Williston completed a Phosphorus Control Plan, which will help to reduce stormwater runoff, erosion, sedimentation, and phosphorus loading.
- CCRPC conducted a Road Erosion Inventory of hydrologically connected road segments in Williston.
- Williston participates in the regional Rethink Runoff program (www.rethinkrunoff.org) to educate and provide opportunities for residents to learn about stormwater impacts and potential Green Stormwater Infrastructure solutions such as rain barrels and rain gardens.
- Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation Actions. The town adopted an Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan in 2015. The EAB preparedness plan was developed with assistance from the Williston Conservation Commission, Town of Williston Public Works, Chittenden County Forester, and the Vermont Departments of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. The purpose of the EAB preparedness plan is to mitigate the effects of the pest when it arrives in Williston. This involves addressing public safety concerns and minimizing the impact on the towns' budget and public works manpower. The town Department of Public Works has implemented the mitigation actions in the Plan with grant funding from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. These
actions include removal and replacement of ash street trees, prioritizing the areas where they are most heavily concentrated, and preservation of culturally important ash trees such as those located in public parks and greens.12
• Williston has adopted and annually updates a Local Emergency Response Plan to support emergency operations during disasters. To further prepare for emergencies, Williston works with the Local Emergency Planning Committee to conduct and participate in trainings and exercises.
The town has done commendable work in its planning and implementation of hazard mitigation. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. The following Objectives, Strategies and Actions outline some steps the Town can take to achieve its goals for hazard mitigation.
Williston Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan. 2015. Williston, Vermont. Accessed on June 20, 2024 at https://www.town.williston.vt.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={9AC5DE33-0817-4533-A2A4-AA8301D75C81}&DE={29FACCA4-2A96-4E31-B397-55B1E6302FBA}.
Objectives, Strategies and Actions
Objectives
12.A
12.B
Williston plans appropriately for growth with a focus on climate change resilience.
12.C
Williston's existing and planned municipal infrastructure is well-protected from hazards.
12.D
Williston power systems and grid are resilient and can withstand severe weather events with minimal disruptions to service.
12.E
Stormwater management systems and infrastructure are resilient.
12.F
Flooding and fluvial erosion results in minimal damage to structures and infrastructure.
12.G
The town facilitates strong and caring community relationships and neighbors help each other out.
12.H
The town maintains effective communication channels.
12.I
Town 'knowledge infrastructure' is in place that helps guide people, raises awareness of issues and what to do.
12.J
The town has communication networks with vulnerable populations and prioritizes them during emergencies.
Strategies
12.1
Ensure that local plans are regularly updated and well-coordinated with Regional, State, and Federal Plans.
12.1.1
Support CCRPC and State Agencies on updates to State and Regional Plans.
12.1.2
Implement the Annex 17 Williston Chittenden County Multi-Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan.
12.1.3
Maintain annual updates to the Williston Local Emergency Operations Plan (LOEP).
12.1.4
Develop a Local Resiliency Hub Plan for Extreme Temperature Preparedness (cooling/heating shelters), power banks, and radio communication.
12.1.5
Develop a Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Williston, support the Town Fire Warden Program, and coordinate with the ANR Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation.
12.2
Maintain and develop effective, resilient communication strategies.
12.2.1
Evaluate ways to expand functional broadband coverage in areas not currently well served.
12.2.2
Develop plan to coordinate with mobile carriers to ensure that infrastructure not only provides town-wide coverage but is also equipped with an emergency generator in the MTSO to ensure uninterrupted service in the event of a power failure.
12.2.3
Implement improvements to Local Emergency Services Radio Communication.
12.2.4
Develop a promotion campaign to encourage Williston residents to participate in OnCall Vermont or other state volunteer programs for emergency services and preparedness.
12.2.5
Develop capacity to engage local and state volunteers in hazard mitigation education, planning, and emergency response.
12.2.6
Promote the registration and sign-up to VT-Alert for residents, business owners, and other community members which notifies the public in emergency situations.
12.2.7
Evaluate and engage vulnerable populations in hazard mitigation planning opportunities.
12.2.8
Maintain plan to mitigate threats to data security by implementing cybersecurity best practices for town technology and asset management.
12.2.9
Develop outreach to citizens regarding cybersecurity threats and connect seniors to the Vermont Consumer Assistance Program.
12.2.10
Develop digital services for all town public services and inter-department communications to ensure all town services and procedures can be conducted in-person and online/remotely.
12.3
Maintain and strengthen regulatory requirements of the National Floodplain Insurance Program (NFIP).
12.3.1
Implement the designation of a floodplain manager and follow the best practices of Flood Ready Vermont and as appropriate for Williston.
12.3.2
Maintain existing flood hazard regulations in the WDB and update when needed to respond to evolving best practices.
12.3.3
Develop application to the FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) and become a CRS Community.
12.4
The Town will maintain accurate and updated inventories of all its assets, and proactively plan to fund asset repairs and replacements, with the goal to maintain infrastructure that is resilient to natural and human-caused hazards.
12.4.1
Develop design specifications and require future streets, paths, water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure to be resilient to a changing climate and potential hazards.
12.4.2
Develop new and retrofit existing critical facilities to withstand the impacts of identified hazards.
12.4.3
Develop schedule of regular updates of stormwater plans and procedures for consistency with mitigation goals.
12.4.4
Evaluate funding and capacity to maintain public infrastructure and support upgrades as needed.
12.4.5
Develop and maintain accurate inventories of town-owned stormwater infrastructure.
12.4.6
Evaluate potential for micro-grids on town property, powered by onsite renewable energy to help mitigate the effects of a commercial power interruption.
12.4.7
Develop plans for maintenance and updates to ditching, culverts, and closed stormwater systems that are based on road and pipe inventories to prioritize the most urgent locations and mitigate damage from stormwater and flooding.
12.5
Ensure the Town's Land Use Regulations support climate change resilience goals.
12.5.1
Maintain regular review and updates to land development regulations for consistency with climate change mitigation and resilience goals.
12.5.2
Support private utilities in developing a plan to bury existing utilities underground to be resilient to extreme weather events. Ensure there are redundancies in systems. Partner with GMP to underground utilities and/or provide battery backup to outage prone areas.
12.5.3
Maintain requirements that all utilities in new developments are buried underground.