TL;DR: North Andover residents can review the town's draft updated Hazard Mitigation Plan on the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission website and submit comments through that site before the comment period closes Monday, Oct. 12.

North Andover has opened its draft updated Hazard Mitigation Plan for public review, with comments due Monday, Oct. 12, according to the Andover Ledger. The draft is posted on the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission website, and residents can submit comments through the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission website before the deadline.

The opening of the review period follows introduction of the plan to local officials in September. The North Andover Select Board first saw the plan at its Monday, Sept. 14, meeting at Town Hall, 120 Main St., according to the Andover Ledger. A recording of the Sept. 14 Select Board meeting where the plan was introduced is available on YouTube.

Comment deadline and where to find the draft

The public comment period closes Monday, Oct. 12, according to the Andover Ledger. The article reporting the opportunity was published Oct. 1, 2026, leaving residents days remaining in the review window at the time of that report.

The draft plan is posted on the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, known as the MVPC, website for review, according to the Andover Ledger. Residents can submit comments through the MVPC website before the Oct. 12 deadline.

The town's announcement did not specify what happens after the comment period closes or when federal and state reviewers would review the final plan, according to the Andover Ledger. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency are the agencies that review community hazard mitigation plans.

Town setting covered by the plan

The plan addresses North Andover, a community in Essex County in the northeastern part of Massachusetts on the banks of the Merrimack River and approximately 24 miles from Boston, according to the Town of North Andover, MA. The town covers almost 27 square miles, according to the Town of North Andover, MA.

North Andover is bordered by the towns of Andover, North Reading, Boxford, and Middleton and the cities of Methuen, Haverhill, and Lawrence, according to the Town of North Andover, MA. The Select Board meeting address identified for the Sept. 14 discussion was Town Hall, 120 Main St., according to the Andover Ledger.

The community context includes recent experience with damaging weather. A weekend nor'easter that arrived Friday brought heavy rain, gusty winds and gray skies to communities across the Merrimack Valley and was not expected to move out until Tuesday, according to CNHI. The Merrimack Valley was expected to receive between 1.5 and 3 inches of rain over the course of the storm, depending on the nor'easter's path, according to CNHI.

Five-year update replaces 2021 version

The plan replaces a version last approved in 2021, according to the Andover Ledger. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, known as MEMA, require communities to update their hazard mitigation plans every five years, according to the Andover Ledger.

The town worked with the Haverhill-based MVPC to prepare the update, according to the Andover Ledger. The MVPC is the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.

The requirement for regular revision was linked in a June community feedback notice to changing hazard conditions. The commission noted in a June community feedback notice that natural hazards are evolving in prevalence, intensity and frequency, and that regular updates help towns adapt to changing climate impacts and plan for resiliency, according to the Andover Ledger.

What the draft plan contains

Hazard mitigation plans lay out the natural hazards a community faces, including hurricanes, droughts and riverine erosion, then map the critical infrastructure and services those hazards could disrupt, according to the MVPC as reported by the Andover Ledger. The plans also include a vulnerability assessment that overlays hazards against local infrastructure and an action plan with steps to reduce risk, according to the MVPC as reported by the Andover Ledger.

The MVPC describes the process as one that identifies natural hazards and assesses the threat they pose to critical community resources in order to reduce the loss of life and property, according to the Andover Ledger.

That structure means the document connects hazard identification to local resources. The vulnerability assessment overlays hazards against local infrastructure, while the action plan sets out steps to reduce risk, according to the MVPC as reported by the Andover Ledger. Critical infrastructure and services are mapped against the hazards that could disrupt them, according to the MVPC as reported by the Andover Ledger.

Why FEMA approval affects funding

Keeping the plan current and FEMA-approved unlocks federal funding for pre-disaster mitigation and recovery projects that would otherwise be unavailable, according to the MVPC as reported by the Andover Ledger.

The funding link makes the update a readiness step as well as a planning document. Projects for pre-disaster mitigation and recovery depend on an approved plan to access the federal funding described by the MVPC, according to the Andover Ledger.

The commission's June notice tied the update cycle to adaptation. Regular updates help towns adapt to changing climate impacts and plan for resiliency at a time when natural hazards are evolving in prevalence, intensity and frequency, according to the MVPC as reported by the Andover Ledger.

Earlier survey gathered community input

Earlier in the process, North Andover collected community feedback through an anonymous survey open through Monday, June 22, according to the Andover Ledger. Hard copies of that survey were available at Town Hall, Stevens Memorial Library and the North Andover Senior Center, according to the Andover Ledger.

The availability of hard copies provided options beyond online participation during that earlier phase. Town Hall, Stevens Memorial Library and the North Andover Senior Center each offered hard copies of the anonymous survey, according to the Andover Ledger.

The survey phase preceded the current draft review. The town worked with the Haverhill-based MVPC to prepare the update after collecting that community feedback, according to the Andover Ledger.

Recent storm showed local hazard impacts

The late-September nor'easter illustrated the types of disruption mitigation planning addresses. High winds and falling trees knocked down power lines and caused some outages over the weekend with National Grid listing customers without power at 183 in Andover, 427 in Haverhill and 196 in North Andover as of Sunday morning, according to CNHI. As of early Sunday evening, National Grid still listed 52 customers without power in Andover, 91 without electricity in Haverhill and 18 in the dark in North Andover, according to CNHI.

Gusts reached 52 mph at Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover, while those oceanside on Cape Ann experienced gusts up to 61 mph, according to the National Weather Service as reported by CNHI. Even before the storm's approach, the National Weather Service issued wind advisories for gusts reaching 35 to 45 mph, according to CNHI.

Torry Dooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, said inland areas fared better than those closer to the coast, according to CNHI. Dooley cautioned residents to pay particular attention to trees because they are still fully leafed for the season, which could increase the potential of power outages, according to CNHI.

Fallen leaves and debris posed a potential problem for storm drains, he added, warning they contribute to urban flooding, particularly in downtown areas dominated by concrete, according to CNHI. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency also predicted rainfall totals of about 1 to 3 inches total across much of Massachusetts, with higher totals possible in some parts, according to CNHI.

Gov. Maura Healey said it is not often that nor'easters arrive this early in the fall, according to CNHI. Dooley said the storm was not record-breaking or unprecedented, but its arrival was earlier in the season than expected, according to CNHI. He said a nor'easter like this would normally occur about mid-October, not late September, according to CNHI.

Preparedness actions highlighted during storm week

Before the storm's arrival, state officials urged residents to prepare ahead of time by charging phones and backup batteries, checking flashlights, securing outdoor objects and keeping medications and other essentials readily available, according to CNHI. MEMA Director Dawn Brantley also encouraged people to check on neighbors, particularly older adults and people with disabilities, according to CNHI.

Brantley said September is Emergency Preparedness Month and described the storm as another reminder of why it is important to be prepared, according to CNHI. She encouraged residents to check on neighbors, especially older adults and anyone who has a disability to see if they need help preparing and to check in throughout the weekend, according to CNHI.

Separate guidance from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency advised residents to monitor conditions closely and ensure that Wireless Emergency Alerts are enabled on cell phones, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The agency also advised residents who live in a community with a reverse 911 system to sign up to receive local warnings, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

The agency advised residents to make sure a home emergency kit is stocked with supplies that could help in the event of a power outage, including a flashlight and extra batteries, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Additional tips on what to do in the event of a flood or power outage were identified as available at mass.gov/MEMA, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

The agency has also identified FloodSmart.gov as a source to learn more about potential risk to property and available insurance options, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The agency noted that flooding can happen anywhere it rains, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

How to participate before Oct. 12

Residents who want to comment should review the draft on the MVPC website and submit comments through the MVPC website before the Oct. 12 deadline, according to the Andover Ledger. The Select Board's Sept. 14 discussion at Town Hall, 120 Main St., provides background, and a recording of that meeting is available on YouTube, according to the Andover Ledger.

The current draft follows the 2021 version and the June 22 survey period, and it was prepared with the Haverhill-based MVPC, according to the Andover Ledger. After Oct. 12, the town had not specified next steps or the timing of FEMA and MEMA review, according to the Andover Ledger.

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