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Mitigation Planning for Natural Hazards By Roxanne Gray, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Wisconsin Emergency Management Almost weekly we hear and read news reports about the destruction and turmoil caused by tornados, floods, wildfires and other natural hazards across the nation. This country incurs $6 billion in flood damages annually which does not include the damages from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Disaster costs continue to grow, yet people keep building and living in high-risk areas. Disasters cause a tremendous impact emotionally and economically to government, businesses and individuals. Wisconsin is not immune to disasters. In the last three decades the state incurred $3 billion in disaster-related damages. The 1993 Midwest Flood alone produced $930 million in damages in the state, flooded 800,000 acres of land, damaged 4,700 homes, and resulted in the evacuation of 3,000 Wisconsin residents. In larger events, the state may receive a federal disaster declaration which provides disaster assistance. However, many disasters are not of the severity to warrant a federal disaster declaration, which means that local governments, the insurance industry, businesses, and citizens bear the cost of the disaster. In recovering from disasters, communities and individuals need not only repair the damages, but also take necessary steps to prevent the damages from repeating themselves in the next event. Hazard mitigation is any action taken to eliminate or reduce the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. In contrast to emergency preparedness, mitigation activities are designed to reduce property damage as well as loss of life and injury. Hazard mitigation is the only phase of emergency management dedicated to breaking the cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. The National Institute of Building Sciences estimates that for every $1 we spend on mitigation we will save $4 in future disaster damages. Hazard mitigation is most effective when based on a comprehensive, long-term plan that is developed before a disaster. In post-disaster situations, communities generally do not have the time or resources to complete a plan. Developing a plan prior to a disaster positions a community to:
Some of the benefits of developing a comprehensive hazard mitigation plan include:
State Hazard Mitigation Planning The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K) was enacted on October 30, 2000 and established a national disaster hazard mitigation program. Public Law 106-390 created the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program. The vision of the program is to create a significant opportunity to reduce disaster losses through pre-disaster mitigation planning; streamline the recovery process through planned, pre-identified, cost-effective mitigation; and link pre- and post-disaster mitigation planning and initiatives with public/private interests for a comprehensive approach to loss reduction. The legislation requires that states and tribal/local governments develop hazard mitigation plans in order to be eligible to receive certain federal disaster assistance. Specific planning criteria are contained in 44 CFR Part 106. Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) is responsible for the development and maintenance of the State of Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Plan. The state’s plan was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in December 2005 as an “enhanced” plan which means the state is eligible to receive additional mitigation funding during declared disasters. Only twelve states have this designation. The plan identifies the state’s most prevalent hazards and sets forth a logical strategy for making Wisconsin a safe place to live, work and play. Approval of the plan ensures that the state continues to be eligible to receive mitigation grant funds as well as funds to reimburse state and local governments to repair permanent facilities and infrastructure during federally declared disasters. The plan must be updated and approved by FEMA every three years. Local Hazard Mitigation Planning A hazard mitigation plan has five parts: Part 1 – Planning Process: Describes and documents the planning process used to develop the plan; how the planning process provided an opportunity for the public to comment on the plan; how the planning process allowed for neighboring communities, local and regional agencies, agencies that have the authority to regulate development, and business, academia and other private and nonprofit interests to participate in the process; and how the process reviewed and incorporated existing plans, studies, reports and technical information. Part 2 – Planning Area: Describes the geographic location, size and names of the communities in the planning area; documents basic demographics such as changes in population, households or housing units; and provides a general description of land uses and development trends in the planning area. Part 3 – Risk Assessment: Identifies the hazards that impact the community; evaluates each hazard in terms of frequency and probability; and assesses the planning area’s vulnerability to the hazard in terms of magnitude, severity, exposure and consequences. Part 4 – Mitigation Strategy: Describes mitigation goals for each hazard identified in Part 3 to reduce or avoid long-term vulnerabilities to hazards; describes a comprehensive range of specific actions and projects that are consistent with the mitigation goals with particular emphasis on reducing impacts to buildings and infrastructure; and describes how the actions will be prioritized, implemented and administered. Part 5 – Plan Maintenance Process and Formal Adoption: Describes the method and schedule for monitoring, evaluating and updating the mitigation plan every five years and how public participation will be sought in the process; describes the process by which the community will incorporate the requirements of the plan into other planning mechanisms such as comprehensive or capital improvement plans; provides documentation that the plan was formally adopted by each participating governing body. The hazard mitigation plan can be a stand-alone document or it can be incorporated into other plans such as a regional, watershed or comprehensive plan, as long as all of the federal criteria are met. If a community is developing a comprehensive plan, much of the information and data collected for the plan will be useful in the development of the hazard mitigation plan. In a comprehensive plan, communities address a range of issues including land use, transportation, housing, economic development, utilities, and park and open spaces. In many cases, however, they fail to address the hazards that impact their community. A true "comprehensive" plan should address the hazards faced by a community and identify appropriate mitigation strategies to reduce those hazards. Figure 1 (download in Adobe pdf format) describes hazard mitigation planning concepts and illustrates how to integrate these concepts into the elements of a comprehensive plan or hazard mitigation plan. Status of Hazard Mitigation Plans Since 2002, over $4.7 million has been provided through FEMA mitigation programs to assist Wisconsin local governments and tribal organizations in the development and maintenance of mitigation plans. Currently there are 44 plans that have been approved by FEMA (32 county-wide plans, 11 single-jurisdiction plans, and 1 tribal plan), 2 are pending approval, and 32 are under development (25 county-wide, 6 tribal, and 1 university). Upon approval, participating jurisdictions are eligible to apply for mitigation funds to implement eligible mitigation measures identified in the plan. Wisconsin Emergency Management has administered $50 million in grants to provide mitigation assistance to state and local governments. For more information regarding hazard mitigation planning and grant programs, contact Roxanne Gray at 608-242-3211, or Roxanne.gray@wisconsin.gov. For More Information Visit:
Wisconsin Emergency Management:
Federal Emergency Management Agency:
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