By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published February 7, 2026
ST. CLAIR SHORES — At their meeting on Feb. 2, the St. Clair Shores City Council approved a resolution to adopt an updated Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation plan in a 7-0 vote.
According to items attached to the agenda, every five years, the county’s Emergency Management Division and local stakeholders create the FEMA hazard mitigation plan.
“This work consists of 12-18 months of preparation and is then sent to FEMA for approval,” the agenda item read. “FEMA approves the plan and then, for it to become officially adopted, it must be acted upon by resolution from each local entity.”
St. Clair Shores Fire Chief James Piper presented the item at the meeting.
Councilman Dave Rubello mentioned the plan is 355 pages and asked how they intend to let the public know about it. Piper said there are two links on the Macomb County website. The city also intends to add links on its social media pages and other sites.
Piper said they have to have it in place to be eligible for federal grants. He said a lot of the preparations now apply to all hazards and disasters.
“There’s many different disasters where you may have to have busing operations and get a large number of people moved, that sort of thing,” Piper said.
Officials said the plan is needed because the city prepares for the common and not the uncommon. Piper said when you have the ordinary scenarios covered, FEMA will have the skillsets for the extraordinary.
Rubello asked if there are certain facilities or places that pose a bigger risk to the city than others. An example he gave is if something could release poisonous gas.
Piper explained that none of those places are recorded in the FEMA hazard mitigation plan, but that the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act is public knowledge.
According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, SARA Title lll establishes requirements on “community right-to-know” reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals for all levels of government.
“We only have, I want to say, three sites in town, and we’re fortunate they’re not as bad in some places, some cities,” Piper said.
Councilwoman Candice Rusie asked if the stormwater operations would be the item most applicable to the city and Piper said it’s the one that is the most common.
“That’s a big part of it in there where they’ve got the flooding-potential maps,” Piper said.
Rusie also asked about the preparation that goes into the documents. Piper said they start working on it around Year 2 of the five-year cycle and that and around Year 4 it ramps up. Surveys are sent out asking about different possible disasters.
Rusie pointed out that the plan can be amended and asked how the process works to do that. Piper said they can email the county, and they can adjust it for them. He also said the section addressing projects can be amended as well though it would take a little bit more time.
“I appreciate some of the background information,” Rusie said.
She also thanked Piper for his work on it.
“It was an interesting document to read, and I appreciate your having a seat at the table to assist with it,” Rusie said.
Councilwoman Linda Bertges asked what it does and what the city would do without it.
Piper said without it, the city is ineligible for FEMA grants and projects relating to storm sewers and other things.