A natural hazards mitigation plan provides a community with a set of goals, action items, and resources designed to reduce risk from future natural disaster events. The process of developing a mitigation plan can also forge new partnerships among community organizations, businesses, and local citizens. These partnerships can lead to the development and implementation of risk reduction strategies that assist the community in reducing losses from any future natural disaster events.
Engaging in mitigation activities provides jurisdictions with a number of benefits, including:
- Reduced loss of life, property, essential services, critical facilities and economic hardship
- Reduced short-term and long-term recovery and reconstruction costs
- Increased cooperation and communication within the community through the planning process
- Increased potential for state and federal funding for recovery and reconstruction projects
In 2000, Congress approved the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K). DMA2K set forth requirements for communities to develop and adopt local natural hazard mitigation plans to become eligible for mitigation grant funding, including FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program.