Schoharie County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Planning Today for a More Resilient Tomorrow
Communities across Schoharie County face a range of natural hazards, each with the potential to affect residents, infrastructure, and the places they call home. To help the County and its municipalities better understand these risks and prepare for the future, Schoharie County selected LaBella to lead a five-year update of its Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The update takes a countywide look at 18 potential natural hazards, helping identify which pose the greatest risks to individual communities and how those risks may change over time. LaBella combined historical data with current risk information and future climate projections to develop a clearer picture of the challenges facing the County and its municipalities.
A key part of the process was hearing directly from the people and communities the plan is designed to serve. LaBella developed opportunities for residents and municipal leaders to share their experiences and perspectives through surveys, public meetings, and direct engagement with individual municipalities. These conversations helped the team better understand each community’s unique vulnerabilities, existing resources, and ability to respond to future hazards.
The plan also included a review of the County’s high-hazard dams, helping identify potential concerns through an evaluation of available historical documentation and records.
Following the assessment and public engagement process, LaBella developed a roadmap to help the County and its municipalities prepare for, respond to, and reduce the impacts of future natural hazards. The team also established protocols to support ongoing plan maintenance, including opportunities for annual updates and continued community input over the next five years.
Submitted to FEMA in December 2025, the updated plan provides Schoharie County and its municipalities with a shared foundation for strengthening resilience and making informed decisions as risks continue to evolve. Formal adoption by the County and participating municipalities is expected in Spring 2026.
