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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Hurricane Irma struck Florida in September 2017, causing extensive damage in many parts of the state. Hurricane Irma's 185 mph maximum winds continued for more than 37 hours — the longest any cyclone on record to maintain that intensity. Sixty-five percent of the state was without power immediately after the storm including 6.5 million homes and businesses.
Flood water is no stranger to the residents of Lafitte, an unincorporated community in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
Although the land Paul Jackson purchased was in a low-risk zone on the community’s current flood maps, he understood the risk of living in a coastal area. With a mitigation mindset, he decided to build a resilient home and purchased a flood insurance policy to protect his investment.
Mobile homes damaged by the winds and rain of Hurricane Ike in 2008, resulted in new homes for 54 residents of Montgomery County, Texas. Little did they know just how much that hurricane would change their lives.
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.
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