Defining Hazard Mitigation Planning
Hazard mitigation planning is a process where the hazards of tomorrow are addressed today. The plans contain a wide variety of historical hazard information and a series of mitigation measures in the form of goals and strategies that will ensure the impacts of hazards on the areas addressed are reduced or eliminated all together.
The purpose of a Hazard Mitigation Plan is to protect the health, safety, and economic interests of residents by reducing the impacts of natural, technological, and human-related hazards through hazard planning, awareness, and implementation. Plans serve as the foundation for hazard mitigation activities within a jurisdiction and provide a path towards continuous, proactive reduction of vulnerability to the most frequent hazards that result in repetitive and often severe social, economic, and physical damage.
Implementation of plan recommendations will help to reduce injuries, loss of life, and destruction of property due to hazardous conditions. The ideal end-state is total integration of hazard mitigation activities, programs, capabilities and actions into normal, day-to-day governmental functions, and management practices.