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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Kathy Valentine Hall, a marine biologist, and expert in sea turtles, decided to build back stronger after losing her wood-framed home to Hurricane María in September 2017. With help from FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program, a U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest disaster loan, her life savings and help from friends, Kathy built a hurricane-resistant home. She used mitigation measures in the new concrete structure, following building codes and using proper materials.
In 2008, Pontilly neighborhood homeowners brought forth ideas and designs for a new flood management system to New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and the city. The new design would hold water where it falls, giving the existing drainage system time to follow its natural drainage process without flooding the neighborhood.
A deadly tornado struck Joplin, Missouri one Sunday in May 2011 killing 161. The tornado destroyed or damaged many of the 14 schools in the Joplin School District where more than 7,000 students attend classes. At the time, there were no safe rooms for students to seek shelter in Joplin.  In 2023, there are saferooms now. Since 2011, the Joplin School District has built 14 school safe rooms with federal assistance.
Flooding sparked the need to design and develop the Cedar River Corridor Plan. As part of the plan, King County completed restoration at Rainbow Bend.
The City of Mandeville, located in St. Tammany Parish, decided to commit to helping residents escape troublesome flood waters. Finally tiring of the constant issue of a repeated damage-repair cycle, city officials decided to act by adopting high regulatory standards for the elevation of homes and businesses.
The Wasatch Fault poses one of the most catastrophic natural threat scenarios in the United States. Despite the lack of high magnitude earthquakes in recent history, the Wasatch Front has a 43% chance of experiencing a 6.75 or greater magnitude earthquake in the next 50 years. The City of Salt Lake has partnered with the state to fund life-safety level retrofits to URM homes through the “Fix the Bricks” program, increasing the likelihood of an occupant’s ability to survive a damaging earthquake.
The city and county of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, held public meetings during their 2019 hazard mitigation plan update. The city tapped into local and regional networks to share the messaging and boost public attendance. Informal community meetings were held to discuss the plan; a continental breakfast, bento box lunch and small group breakout sessions were offered. The plan update committee also refreshed its messaging methods
Three separate hurricanes affected the same area of Jefferson Parish between 2005- 2021. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, FEMA mitigation funds for $2.3 million were used to elevate 23 individual homes. After Hurricane Isaac in 2012, FEMA published a loss avoidance study. This original loss avoidance study has been updated after Hurricane Ida in 2021.
Tulsa, Oklahoma, has a long history with flood-related disasters and hazard mitigation planning. Decades ago, a George Washington University study identified Tulsa as the most frequently flooded city in the United States.
Bourne, Massachusetts, is the gateway to other Cape Cod towns. It spans the Cape Cod Canal and has 55 miles of coastline. It uniquely faces Cape Cod Bay to the northeast and Buzzards Bay to the west. The town faces many risks and vulnerabilities from coastal flooding, erosion and severe storms. Water quality is also a serious concern for the town estuaries.
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