Development of a Hazard Mitigation Plan provides a significant opportunity to reduce the nation’s disaster losses through mitigation planning. Following a federally declared disaster up to 15% of the amount of the declaration may be made available for jurisdictions having approved mitigation plans. For example, a $10,000,000 federally declared disaster will result in as much as $1,500,000 being made available for performing hazard mitigation projects defined in the jurisdiction’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.

After November 1, 2004, only communities, tribes, counties and states with a FEMA-approved mitigation plan will be eligible to receive mitigation funds following a presidentially declared disaster. If you don’t have a plan, you get nothing.

By coming together to develop a single Hazard Mitigation Plan cities and counties have a lot to gain. Planning and implementing mitigation measures rely on teamwork that bring together a broad range of officials involved in building codes, development, land-use planning, emergency management, and engineering. The cost of recovery and rebuilding after the destruction caused by a natural disaster is much greater than the cost of planning and preparing before disaster strikes.

R.D. Flanagan & Associates uses a 10-step process, based on guidance and requirements of FEMA, to develop hazard mitigation plans.

Organize to prepare the plan. Involve the public. Coordinate with other agencies and organizations. Assess the hazard. Assess the problem.

Set goals. Review possible activities. Draft the action plan. Adopt the plan. Implement, evaluate, and revise.

The complete Yukon Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan is available as an example of a Plan approved by the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (ODEM) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

To see samples from Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans developed by R.D. Flanagan & Associates, or samples of Emergency Operations Procedures, click on a location in the map below: