What is Hazard Mitigation?
Hazard mitigation is an effort undertaken to reduce potential losses from disasters.
Through hazard mitigation, communities can reduce or eliminate the risk of loss of life, injury, and/or property damage. Thus, aiming to reduce the likelihood that a hazard will result in a disaster. Hazards can include wildfire, flood, earthquake, drought, and hazardous material spills.
Key Terms
Hazard: An event that has the potential to cause harm or loss.
1.
Risk: The likelihood that a specific hazard will occur.
2.
Disaster: An event that has occurred and resulted in property damage, deaths, and/or. injuries to a community.
3.
Hazard Mitigation Planning: A process state, tribal, and local governments undertake to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with hazards and disasters.
4.
Hazard Mitigation: Sustained actions taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from hazards. Hazard mitigation seeks to reduce potential losses from future hazards. Through hazard mitigation, communities can reduce or eliminate the risk of loss of life, injury, and/or property damage
5.
Preparedness: Actions taken to plan, organize, equip, train, and exercise to build and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from those threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation.
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Response: Actions necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred.
7.
Recovery: Actions necessary to assist communities affected by an incident to recover effectively.
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FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency
9.
Definitions borrowed from FEMA.