Mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people, property and the environment from the effects of both natural and man-made hazards.
The purpose of mitigation is twofold: To protect people and structures; and To minimize the costs of disaster response and recovery.
Traditionally, emergency management activities have been comprised of:
- Preparedness - providing public education and building the tools for an effective disaster response
- Response - emergency operations immediately following a disaster to save lives, reduce injuries and protect property
- Recovery - rebuilding communities so that individuals, businesses and governments can return to normal life and function on their own
Because of the rapidly rising costs associated with disasters, mitigation has become a federal, state and local priority. The total cost of all natural disasters naturally averaged $10 billion from 1975 to 1989, but during 1990-1998, shot to $17.2 billion annually. In 2000, Congress passed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K) which requires local governments to have federally approved natural hazard mitigation plans in order to be eligible for future pre and post disaster mitigation funds. The overriding goal is to reduce risk and ultimately reduce the cost of disaster recovery.
Like other emergency management activities, the foundation for mitigation is the Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment (HIVA) which describes natural and manmade hazards in Pierce County. To learn about Hazards that may impact Pierce County, visit the HIVA page.
