A mitigation action is a measure, project, plan or activity proposed to reduce or eliminate current and future vulnerabilities described in the risk assessment. Mitigation actions help achieve the plan’s mission and goals. The actions to reduce vulnerability to threats and hazards form the core of the plan and are a key outcome of the planning process.
6.3.1. Types of Mitigation Actions
Mitigation actions primarily fall into four categories:
The following table describes these types of mitigation actions.
Table 8: Types of Mitigation Actions.
| Mitigation Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Local Plans and Regulations | These actions include government authorities, policies or codes that influence the way land and buildings are developed and built. | • Comprehensive plans |
| • Land use ordinances | ||
| • Subdivision regulations | ||
| • Development review | ||
| • Building codes and enforcement | ||
| • NFIP CRS | ||
| • Capital improvement programs | ||
| • Open space preservation | ||
| • Stormwater management regulations and master plans | ||
| Structure and Infrastructure Projects | These actions involve modifying existing structures and infrastructure to protect them from a hazard or remove them from a hazard area. This could apply to public or private structures as well as critical facilities and infrastructure. | • Acquisitions and elevations of structures in flood-prone areas |
| • Utility undergrounding | ||
| • Structural retrofits | ||
| • Floodwalls and retaining walls | ||
| • Detention and retention structures | ||
| • Culverts | ||
| • Safe rooms | ||
| Natural Systems Protection and Nature-based Solutions | This type of action can include green infrastructure and low impact development, nature-based solutions, Engineering with Nature and bioengineering to incorporate natural features or processes into the built environment. | • Sediment and erosion control |
| • Stream corridor restoration | ||
| • Forest management | ||
| • Conservation easements | ||
| • Wetland restoration and preservation | ||
| • Land conservation | ||
| • Greenways | ||
| • Rain gardens | ||
| • Living shorelines | ||
| Education and Awareness Programs | These types of actions keep residents informed about potential natural disasters. Many of these types of actions are eligible for funding through the FEMA HMA program. | • Radio or television spots |
| • Social media outreach | ||
| • Websites with maps and information | ||
| • Real estate disclosure | ||
| • Presentations to school groups or neighborhood organizations | ||
| • Mailings to residents in hazard-prone areas | ||
| • Targeted outreach to underserved communities and socially vulnerable populations | ||
| • Outreach materials in languages other than English |
6.3.2. Identifying Mitigation Actions
The mitigation planning regulation requires each participant to identify and analyze a comprehensive range of specific mitigation actions and projects to reduce the impacts of the hazards each jurisdiction has identified in the risk assessment. Emphasis is placed on the impacts or vulnerabilities identified in the risk assessment, not the hazards themselves. These impacts and vulnerabilities may be summarized in problem statements. Some hazards may not have many impacts, or the impacts may already be mitigated. In this case, fewer mitigation actions may be identified than for a hazard causing more frequent or severe impacts.
Though funding and support may not be immediately available for every action, including the actions in the plan may lead to future opportunities for implementation. Some actions can be undertaken after a disaster when additional funding and political and public support are available (e.g., acquiring homes in a flood hazard area). If actions are not included in the plan, securing funding may be more difficult once it becomes available.
6.3.2.1 Incorporate Risk Assessment Findings into the Mitigation Strategy
Each step in a plan’s development builds upon the others. As such, the risk assessment that was developed informs the actions chosen for the mitigation strategy. The actions included must address their specific vulnerabilities identified in the plan.
The plan’s risk assessment identified hazards that could affect the planning area and the participating jurisdictions. Any hazard that is important enough to be profiled in the plan must have at least one mitigation action associated with it. Some plans may sort hazards based on a set of inputs. However, if a participating community, stakeholder or the public wants to include a specific hazard profile, then there must be a mitigation action associated with that hazard
Start by looking at the vulnerabilities listed in the risk assessment. If you have not already developed problem statements that address those vulnerabilities, you may choose to develop problem statements. For each problem statement, consider different mitigation actions to address the identified issue (e.g., structure and infrastructure or education and awareness). Think comprehensively when identifying potential actions. Actions may address more than one hazard and apply to more than one community. For instance, building a storm shelter or safe room can help multiple nearby communities that may not have one themselves. That shelter could also act as a heating or cooling center for extreme temperatures.
The problem statement in Table 10 shows how a community’s wildfire risk can be used to develop potential actions.
For certain situations, you may not have enough information to recommend a specific mitigation project. In these cases, consider a mitigation action to further study the issue. For example, if your community has 20 at-risk critical facilities identified in the risk assessment, more study may be needed to select which facilities to address first. Your mitigation action could be, “Conduct an assessment of the 20 at-risk critical facilities over the next 3 years to determine which facilities need to be mitigated first and the most appropriate mitigation actions.”
6.3.2.2 Analyzing a Comprehensive Range
The Guide specifies that participants must consider a comprehensive range of actions for the mitigation strategy. Base this analysis on the local participants’ needs and abilities. Some plans may choose to use a table format to catalogue the potential actions considered for the plan. Other plans may choose to use a narrative format to explain the process of refining the list of actions to implement. Like much of the rest of the plan’s development, the choice belongs to the participants in the planning process. The most important considerations when developing the mitigation strategy may be the process used to choose the actions to carry out from that comprehensive range. That process will vary from community to community.
6.3.2.3 Address Capabilities
When developing the mitigation strategy, review the capabilities previously identified. The mitigation strategy needs to align with those existing capabilities. For example, if you do not currently have staff trained in GIS, a mitigation action of “use GIS to map all hazards for use in development decisions” does not make sense. The action would need to be adjusted to address that gap in existing capabilities. The mitigation strategy also looks at the ability to expand on and improve existing tools. As illustrated above, gaps in capabilities can be addressed with mitigation actions. The ability to enhance capabilities through new mitigation actions can also be noted. For instance, can gaps in design or enforcement of existing regulations be addressed through additional personnel or a policy change? Could an existing education program be improved to cover the most significant hazards and better target non-English speakers? Are additional studies, reports or plans needed to understand risk?
Communities participating in the NFIP can look at ways to boost their floodplain management program. They could mitigate high-risk properties and improve standards beyond the minimum NFIP requirements.
Communities can also consider how updates to current growth plans and regulations (e.g., comprehensive plans, zoning and subdivisions ordinances, building codes, and capital improvement programs) impact community safety. For instance, development review procedures may be revised to add a hazard assessment. The types of questions that the community can ask include:
- Will population growth and future land use plans put more people in hazardous areas?
- Will current redevelopment policies increase the population and property vulnerable to hazards?
- Will planned infrastructure extensions encourage unsafe development by giving access to hazardous areas?
6.3.2.4 Capabilities vs. Mitigation Actions
Keep in mind how capabilities and mitigation actions differ. Once implemented, mitigation actions can become a capability. Participants should create mitigation actions that build on and improve their capabilities. These actions should increase an existing capability or add a new one. Existing, routine capabilities the participants already have are not mitigation actions. This includes ongoing maintenance programs that are already started and on schedule.
For example, standing up a new program to clear debris from a culvert is a mitigation action. It reduces flooding by creating a clear channel for water to flow through. Once this program is up and running, it becomes a tool in the participant’s toolbox – in other words, it becomes a capability. Maintaining existing capabilities does not reduce current and future vulnerabilities in the planning area.