Quick-Reference on Hazard Mitigation
Hazard Mitigation- covers natural disasters
such as earthquakes, ice storms, tornados, etc.
Risk Assessment- the process of measuring the
potential loss of life, personal injury, economic injury, and property damage
resulting from natural hazards by assessing the vulnerability of people,
buildings, and infrastructure to natural hazards. Risk assessment provides the foundation for the rest of the
mitigation planning process. The risk
assessment process focuses your attention on areas most in need by evaluating
which populations and facilities are most vulnerable to natural hazards and to
what extent injuries and damages may occur.
CEDS- the umbrella-planning document in their region
that addresses the economic problems and potential of an area.
CEDS:
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan
FEMA:
Federal Emergency Management Agency
FIS: Flood
Insurance Studies
FIRM: Flood
Insurance Rate Maps
GIS:
Geographical Information Systems
Barren River Regional Hazard
Mitigation Plan
BRADD’s Pre-Disaster Natural Hazard Mitigation-
citizens across the Barren River area will be better represented and local
government will have better contact.
Key Objective of Plan- to provide guidance to present and
future local officials and their planning agencies on the construction,
maintenance, and retro-fitting of public buildings, needed regulations for any
public/private development and a means of maintaining communication with each
communities citizens.
Development Process for
BRADD’s Mitigation Plan/4 Major Areas
1.
Prerequisites
for Planning
Adoption by the local Governing body: Upon Date
of Award, local governments in each county will be asked to assist in the
formation of a regional planning council and special purpose planning
committees.
Multi-Jurisdictional Plan Adoption: For this
multi-jurisdictional plan, each jurisdiction requesting approval of the plan
will document that it has been formally adopted. This documentation will be included in the plan.
Multi-Jurisdictional Participation: The plan will
document and verify how each jurisdiction participated in the planning
process. The files for all
documentation requirements will be the responsibility of the BRADD Records
Administrator.
2.
The
Planning Process
An open public involvement process is essential to
the development of an effective plan.
In order to develop a more comprehensive approach to reducing the
effects of natural disasters, the planning process will include:
Open Public Involvement: Private sector
participation may lead to identifying local funding and other resources that
would not otherwise have been considered for mitigation activities. The council will meet regularly. GIS will be a large part of the plan. GIS can map past disasters and can aid in
predicting future disasters.
Opportunity for Public Comment: The plan will
document that the public was given an opportunity to comment on the plan during
the drafting stage and prior to plan approval.
Opportunity for Public/Private Participation:
The plan will document that neighboring communities, local and regional
agencies involved in hazard mitigation activities and agencies that have the
authority to regulate development, businesses, academia, and other private and non-profit
interests were invited and encouraged to actively participate in the planning
process.
Documentation of the Planning Process: The plan
will include documentation of the planning process used to develop the plan,
including how it was prepared, who was involved in the process, and how the
public was involved.
Establish Representative Council: A broad and
inclusive Regional Mitigation Planning Council will be established,
representing all local government entities.
3.
Risk
Assesment
The plan will include a risk assessment that
provides the factual bais for activities proposed in the strategy to reduce
losses from identified hazards. The
risk assessment will include:
Identifying Hazards: The plan will include a
description of the type of all natural hazards that can affect the
multi-jurisdictional planning area. At
a minimum, the plan will address the following hazards: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes,
Landslides, Severe Storms/Tornados, Floods, Wildfires, Dam/Levee Failure,
Drought/Heat Wave, and Winter Storms/Freezes.
The description of hazards will document how any additional hazards were
identified. If any of the above hazards
are excluded, the plan will document why they were excluded from the
jurisdictions hazard analysis.
Profiling Hazard Events: The plan will
include a description of the location and extent of each identified hazard that
can affect the multi-jurisdictional planning area. The plan will provide information on previous occurrences of
hazard events and on the probability of future hazard events for each
identified hazard.
Assessing Vulnerability:
Identifying Assets: The plan will contain a
description of the planning areas vulnerability to each identified and profiled
hazard.
Assessing Vulnerability:
Estimating Potential Losses: The plan will
describe vulnerability in terms of an estimate for each identified hazard of
the potential dollar losses to vulnerable structures and a description of the
methodology used to prepare the estimates.
Assessing Vulnerability: Analyzing Development Trends: The plan will
include a general description of land uses and development trends within the
community so that mitigation options can be considered in future land use
decisions.
Multi-Jurisdictional Risk Assessment: The risk
assessment of the Regional Mitigation Plan will assess the risk to the entire
planning area.
4.
Mitigation
Strategy
The plan will include a mitigation strategy that
provides the planning area’s blueprint for reducing the potential losses
identified in the risk assessment.
Local Hazard Mitigation Goals: The plan will
include a description of mitigation goals to reduce or avoid long-term
vulnerabilities to the identified hazards.
Identification and Analysis of Mitigation Measures:
The plan will include a section that identifies, evaluates, and analyzes
a comprehensive range of specific mitigation actions and projects being
considered to reduce the effects of each hazard with particular emphasis on new
and existing buildings and infrastructure.
Implementation of Mitigation Measures: The plan
will include an action plan describing how the actions identified will be
prioritized, implemented and administered by the local jurisdiction.