Terms to know:
Natural hazard = a natural event or process that can cause loss of life and/or damage to property and disruption of human activities (e.g. earthquakes, landslides, wildfires and tsunami)
Hazard mitigation = sustained actions taken to help reduce or eliminate long-term risks to life and property caused by hazard events.
Common Mitigation Actions
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- Promoting effective land use planning based on identified hazards
- Adopting and enforcing building codes and standards
- Buying flood insurance to protect personal property and belongings
- Securing shelves and water heaters to walls
- Elevating structures above the floodplain
- Retrofitting structures to withstand winds and earthquakes
- Acquisition and demolition of structures in flood-prone areas
- Construction and maintenance of roadways, culverts and dams
- Acquisition of undevelopable, hazard-prone lands
- Development and distribution of educational materials
- Construction of detention or retention ponds
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Why do we do it?
Investing in hazard mitigation makes good sense. In addition to the benefits of preventing loss of life or injury, a study by the National Institute of Building Sciences, Multi-hazard Mitigation Council documented that every $1 spent on mitigation saves an average of $6 in future reduced losses. This savings increases to $7 for flood mitigation projects.
Hazard mitigation actions are most effective at reducing loss when they are based on an inclusive, comprehensive, long-term plan that is developed well before a disaster occurs. The implementation of hazard mitigation actions leads to building stronger, safer and smarter communities that are better able to minimize injuries and damage from future events.
- Review the County’s current Hazard Mitigation Plan.
- Follow the progress of the County’s 2021-2022 Plan Update Process.