Mitigation Best Practices

Mitigation Best Practices are stories, articles or case studies about individuals, businesses or communities that undertook successful efforts to reduce or eliminate disaster risks.

They demonstrate that disaster preparedness decreases repetitive losses, financial hardship and loss of life.

FEMA seeks to inspire and educate citizens to consider mitigation options by highlighting proven practices implemented by others in their homes and communities. It is our hope that visitors to this library find relatable and informative techniques to reduce their risk and eliminate hazards.

Explore mitigation planning examples on the Mitigation Planning Success Stories story map. It highlights success stories on plan implementation, plan integration, outreach, engagement and equity. If you have a success story worth sharing, please email us.

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When Albert Darda bought his brick and wood frame home in 1978, he knew flooding was a possibility. A long-term resident of the Lafitte area, he has watched the slow disintegration of the Louisiana coastline over the years. Based on that fact, and his experience, he knew the only way to escape flooding was to elevate his home above future flood levels. The challenge was he also knew that only his local officials could help him access the FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) that would help him get there.
Following the catastrophic flood caused by Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas, Harris County quickly approved local funds to buy and demolish some of the worst flooded homes. This action sped up disaster recovery and reduced future flood risks.
After devastating losses from over two decades, George Lowe retrofitted his North Carolina marina to with-stand the “worst case scenario” hurricane. The investment has paid off.
Located in the beautiful Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon, the Eagle Point Fire District was in the path of the devastating fire. The top of the culvert was made of wood and damaged by the fire. The District replaced the 18-ft long x 18-ft wide x 2-ft high 8-inch damaged wooden top with a metal one for safety and longevity.
In 2011 a deadly EF-5 tornado—winds more than 200 mph, top of the Enhanced Fujita Damage Scale—took 161 lives in Joplin, Missouri. The catastrophic event, which brought down nearly 7,000 homes, a hospital, and other public buildings, prompted a wave of initiatives throughout the state to reduce risks to lives and damage to property in the path of another disaster.
When communicating life safety and preparedness messaging, cultural differences need to be considered.  In Amish communities, there is a minimalist lifestyle. They do not typically use electricity and don’t adopt or use the conveniences of modern technology. There are many pockets of Amish communities across the country A warning coordination meteorologist and an emergency management director teamed up to initiate a project which has become far reaching beyond the bounds of Eastern Kentucky.
The City of Wilson is a quiet community of 22,000 about 60 miles inland from the coast of North Carolina. In 1996, Hurricane Floyd destroyed 400 homes. Three years later, the city partnered with the North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) and the FEMA to acquire many of the damaged structures with Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds.
The year 2017 was difficult for most Puerto Ricans. The island was already going through a financial crisis, when in September, Hurricane María, a Category 4 storm, brought flooding that wreaked havoc on the island.  There were areas impacted that had never flooded before. Millions in real and personal property losses. Without flood insurance, the cost to recover can be extensive. Most residents and businesses must pay out of pocket or take out loans to replace damaged items.
When rain and a high tide event in 1999 brought significant damage to their properties, residents of Oakland Park, Florida realized their current drainage system needed serious improvement. With nearly 400 home sites in the Lloyd Estates and Sleepy Hollow neighborhoods affected, city officials researched solutions to prevent future flooding.
Around 2010, the Murray School District decided to mitigate against future earthquakes and other natural disasters by undertaking a multiyear retrofit program that brought all its campuses up to current earthquake safety standards.
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