The plan must include hazard mitigation goals the community wants to achieve by carrying out their mitigation plan. Clear goals that are agreed upon by the planning team, elected officials and the public are the basis for prioritizing mitigation actions. Mitigation goals must be consistent with the hazards identified and described in the risk assessment.
Common goals include:
- Minimize loss of life, injury and damage to property, the economy and the environment from natural hazards.
- Build and enhance local mitigation capabilities to ensure the safety and resilience of all community members. Reduce damage to public buildings and ensure continuity of emergency services.
- Maintain the jurisdiction’s natural and man-made systems that protect against natural hazards.
- Increase cooperation and coordination among private entities, local agencies, state agencies and federal agencies.
- Protect natural, historic and cultural resources.
Whether you are updating goals or developing new ones, here are some considerations:
- Risk assessment findings. Review the findings of the risk assessment, especially the problem statements. Group the problem statements by themes, such as hazards, assets at risk or location. Several problem statements or groups may lead to a single mitigation goal.
- Outreach findings. Consider themes that stood out during planning team meetings and outreach activities. For instance, improving education and awareness about hazards may be a common theme.
- Community goals. Review existing plans and other policy documents to ensure hazard mitigation goals are consistent with the goals of other community plans, such as the comprehensive plan, and other objectives established by the governing body. Mitigation goals that complement other plans and policies may garner more support.
- State hazard mitigation goals. Review the goals included in your state’s hazard mitigation plan. It may be strategic to align your plan’s goals to the state’s plan.
If you are developing a plan, the planning team should review the previous goals and reaffirm or change them based on current conditions and priorities.