Central Region

Montana Central Region HMP

We need your input!

The Draft Central region Plan is now available for public review and comments. Visit our virtual meeting room to read the draft plan and give us your feedback:
https://virtual.woodplc.com/VirtualSpace/150089

Participating Jurisdictions

Blackfeet Nation
Blaine County

City of Chinook
City of Harlem

Cascade County

City of Great Falls
Town of Belt
Town of Cascade

Chippewa Cree Tribe
Choteau County

City of Fort Benton
Town of Big Sandy

Fergus County

City of Lewistown
Town of Denton
Town of Grass Range
Town of Moore
Town of Winifred

Glacier County

City of Cut Bank

Hill County

City of Havre
Town of Hingham

Judith Basin County

Town of Hobson
Town of Stanford

Liberty County

Town of Chester

Petroleum County

Town of Winnett

Phillips County

City of Malta
Town of Saco

Pondera County

City of Conrad

Teton County

City of Choteau
Town of Dutton
Town of Fairfield

Toole County

Town of Kevin
Town of Shelby
Town of Sunburst

Addressing and mitigating hazards is one of Montana's main priorities due to legal and ethical responsibilities, the increasing costs of response and recovery, and many events being predictable and repetitive.
Hover over each photo to learn more about each hazard. Some photos depict actual hazard events that occured in Montana.

Communicable Disease

Communicable disease is a public health threat that can cause isolation, quarantine, and potential mass casualties. Disease spread and mortality is affected by a variety of factors, including virulence, ease of spread, aggressiveness of the virus and its symptoms, resistance to known antibiotics and environmental factors. Impacts of communicable disease can range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services.

Cyber-Attack

A cyber threat is any deliberate attack on information technology systems in an attempt to gain illegal access to a computer, or purposely cause damage. Cyber-attacks use malicious code to alter computer operations or data.

Dam Failure

A dam failure is the collapse or breach of a dam that causes downstream flooding. Dam failures may be caused by natural events, manmade events, or a combination. Due to the lack of advance warning, failures resulting from natural events, such as earthquakes or landslides, may be particularly severe. Prolonged rainfall and subsequent flooding is the most common cause of dam failure.

Drought

Drought is a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period. It is a normal, recurrent feature of climate that occurs in virtually all climate zones. However, drought can affect people’s health and safety. It has the potential to impact water supply, agricultural yields, and water-dependent industries. Drought conditions can also increase the likelihood of wind erosion and increase wildfire risk.

Earthquake

An earthquake is a movement or shaking of the ground. Most earthquakes are caused by the release of stresses accumulated as a result of the rupture of rocks along opposing fault planes in the Earth’s outer crust.

Flooding

Flooding is defined by the rising and overflowing of water onto normally dry land. Flooding can result from an overflow of inland waters or an unusual accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

Hazardous Materials Incidents

A hazardous material is any item or agent (biological, chemical, physical) which has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment, either by itself or through interaction with other factors. A release or spill of bulk hazardous materials could result in fire, explosion, toxic cloud or direct contamination of people and property. The effects may involve a local site or many square miles. Health problems may be immediate, such as corrosive effects on skin and lungs, or be gradual, such as the development of cancer from a carcinogen. Damage to property could range from immediate destruction by explosion to permanent contamination by a persistent hazardous material.

Landslide

Landslides are defined as natural or unnatural massive movements of rock, soil, or earth down slopes. Landslides can have multiple causes - typically those causes include but are not limited to: rainfall, snowmelt, changes in water level, erosion, and disturbance by human activity.

Severe Seasonal Weather

Severe cold weather storms can involve heavy snowfall and/or ice accumulation (generally noted when accumulation reaches ¼ inch or more), often accompanied by extreme cold, which can result in blocked roads, dangerous road and sidewalk conditions, downed trees and power lines, and hypothermia.

Terrorism and Mass Violence

Terrorism is defined in the United States by the Code of Federal Regulations as: “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” A terror threat is generally more likely to be targeted at a critical or symbolic location.

Tornadoes & Windstorms

A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.

Volcanic Ash

Volcanic ash consists of rocks, minerals, and gasses that are dispersed as a result of volcanic erruptions. Volcanic ash can lead to power outages, health issues, and destruction of buildings under the ash's weight.

Wildfire

A wildfire is an uncontained fire that spreads through the environment. Wildfires have the ability to consume large areas, including infrastructure, property, and resources.

Task 1 Organize Resources: Identify participants, build the planning team, and develop an outreach strategy	Date
Central Region Initial Coordination	February 2022 - April 2022
Monthly Calls	February 2022 - May 2023
Regional Workshop 1 Kickoff - Meeting Materials	March 2022
Outreach Plan/Public Survey	April 2022 - June 2022

Task 2 Assess Risks and Community Vulnerabilities: Identify hazards that can impact the region, assess how they are likely to affect people, property, and the environment, and identify communities most at risk.	Date
Central Region Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Drafting	April 2022 - August 2022
Regional Workshop 2 Risk Assessment	July 2022

Task 3 Develop a Mitigation Strategy: Identify goals and projects to reduce the impacts of hazards.	Date
Central Region Effort	August 2022 - October 2022
Regional Resilience Workshop 3 (series)	September 2022 - October 2022

Task 4 Plan Adoption, Monitoring, and Evaluation: The plan will be approved by FEMA and adoped by all participating jurisdictions, and will be maintained as a living document through the next five years.	Date
Central Region Administrative Draft, Public Review Draft, Plan for DES Review	January 2023 - April 2023
Central Region Final for FEMA Review, Estimated Final for Adoption	May 2023 - July 2023

Montana