**Foreword**

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed this series
of mitigation planning \"how-to\" guides to assist states, communities,
and tribes in enhancing their hazard mitigation planning capabilities.

\[GLOSSARY:

mit-i-gate\\ 1: to cause to become less harsh or hostile; 2: to make
less severe or painful.

As defined by DMA 2000- hazard mitigation: any sustained action taken to
reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from
hazards.

plan-ning\\: the act or process of making or carrying out plans; specif:
the establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or
economic unit.

END GLOSSARY\]

These guides are designed to provide the type of information state and
local governments need to initiate and maintain a planning process that
will result in safer communities. These guides are applicable to states
and communities of various sizes and varying ranges of financial and
technical resources.

This how-to series is not intended to be the last word on any of the
subject matter covered; rather, it is meant to provide easy to
understand guidance for the field practitioner. In practice, these
guides may be supplemented with more extensive technical data and the
use of experts when necessary.

\[SIDE TIPS:

**The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000**

In the past, federal legislation has provided funding for disaster
relief, recovery, and some hazard mitigation planning. The Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) is the latest legislation to improve
this planning process and was put into motion on October 10, 2000, when
the President signed the Act (Public Law 106-390). The new legislation
reinforces the importance of mitigation planning and emphasizes planning
for disasters before they occur. As such, this Act establishes a
pre-disaster hazard mitigation program and new requirements for the
national post-disaster Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

Section 322 of the Act specifically addresses mitigation planning at the
state and local levels. It identifies new requirements that allow HMGP
funds to be used for planning activities, and increases the amount of
HMGP funds available to states that have developed a comprehensive,
enhanced mitigation plan prior to a disaster. States and communities
must have an approved mitigation plan in place prior to receiving
post-disaster HMGP funds. Local and tribal mitigation plans must
demonstrate that their proposed mitigation measures are based on a sound
planning process that accounts for the risk to and the capabilities of
the individual communities.

State governments have certain responsibilities for implementing Section
322, including:

-   Preparing and submitting a standard or enhanced state mitigation
    plan;

-   Reviewing and updating the state mitigation plan every three years;

-   Providing technical assistance and training to local governments to
    assist them in applying for HMGP grants and in developing local
    mitigation plans; and

-   Reviewing and approving local plans if the state is designated a
    managing state and has an approved enhanced plan.

DMA 2000 is intended to facilitate cooperation between state and local
authorities, prompting them to work together. It encourages and rewards
local and state pre-disaster planning and promotes sustainability as a
strategy for disaster resistance. This enhanced planning network will
better enable local and state governments to articulate accurate needs
for mitigation, resulting in faster allocation of funding and more
effective risk reduction projects.

To implement the new DMA 2000 requirements, FEMA prepared an Interim
Final Rule, published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2002, at
44 CFR Parts 201 and 206, which establishes planning and funding
criteria for states and local communities.

END SIDE TIPS\]

The how-to guides cover the following topics:

-   Getting started with the mitigation planning process, including
    important considerations for how you can organize your efforts to
    develop an effective mitigation plan (FEMA 386-1);

-   Identifying hazards and assessing losses to your community or state
    (FEMA 386-2);

-   Setting mitigation priorities and goals for your community or state
    and writing the plan (FEMA 386-3);

-   Implementing the mitigation plan, including project funding and
    maintaining a dynamic plan that changes to meet new developments
    (FEMA 386-4);

-   Evaluating potential mitigation measures through the use of
    benefit-cost analysis and other techniques (FEMA 386-5);

-   Incorporating special considerations into hazard mitigation planning
    for historic structures and cultural resources (FEMA 386-6);

-   Incorporating considerations for human-caused hazards into hazard
    mitigation planning (FEMA 386-7);

-   Using multi-jurisdictional approaches to mitigation planning (FEMA
    386-8); and

-   Finding and securing technical and financial resources for
    mitigation planning (FEMA 386-9).

Why should you take the time to read these guides?

-   It simply costs too much to address the effects of disasters only
    after they happen;

-   State and federal aid is usually insufficient to cover the extent of
    physical and economic damages resulting from disasters;

-   You can prevent a surprising amount of damage from hazards if you
    take the time to anticipate where and how they occur;

-   You can lessen the impact and speed the response and recovery
    process for both natural and human-caused hazards; and

-   The most meaningful steps in avoiding the impacts of hazards are
    taken at the state and local levels by officials and community
    members who have a personal stake in the outcome and/or the ability
    to follow through on a sustained program of planning and
    implementation.

The guides focus on showing how mitigation planning:

-   Can help your community become more sustainable and
    disaster-resistant through selecting the most appropriate mitigation
    measures, based on the knowledge you gain in the hazard
    identification and loss estimation process;

-   Can be incorporated as an integral component of daily government
    business;

-   Allows you to focus your efforts on the hazard areas most important
    to you by incorporating the concept of determining and setting
    priorities for mitigation planning efforts; and

-   Can save you money by providing a forum for engaging in partnerships
    that could provide technical, financial, and/or staff resources in
    your effort to reduce the effects, and hence the costs, of natural
    and human-caused hazards.

These guides provide a range of approaches to preparing a hazard
mitigation plan. There is no one right planning process; however, there
are certain central themes to planning, such as engaging citizens,
developing goals and objectives, and monitoring progress. Select the
approach that works best in your state or community.

**Introduction**

This first guide in the State and Local Mitigation Planning How-to
series discusses the activities and issues involved in initiating a
hazard mitigation planning process. The topics covered here are
presented within the context of the beginning phase of the mitigation
planning process, although many of these activities will continue more
or less behind the scenes throughout the process. Therefore, the efforts
you put into identifying and organizing your resources early on will pay
dividends later as you progress through some of the more challenging
tasks of mitigation planning. This how-to guide thus covers not only
this first phase of the planning process, but also provides snapshots of
later phases. You will then be able to begin the planning process
knowing ahead of time what types of resources you may need to call upon
in the future. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, elected officials,
community staff, citizens, and businesses will benefit from the
knowledge, organization, positive attitude, and energy that you and your
team demonstrate.

\[SIDBAR:

Phases of Emergency Management

To better structure the way in which communities in the United States
respond to disasters, the \"four phases of emergency management\" were
introduced in the early 1980s after the similarities between natural
disaster preparedness and civil defense became clear. This approach can
be applied to all disasters.

Mitigation is defined as any sustained action taken to reduce or
eliminate long-term risk to life and property from a hazard event.
Mitigation, also known as prevention, encourages long-term reduction of
hazard vulnerability. The goal of mitigation is to save lives and reduce
property damage. Mitigation can accomplish this, and should be
cost-effective and environmentally sound. This, in turn, can reduce the
enormous cost of disasters to property owners and all levels of
government. In addition, mitigation can protect critical community
facilities, reduce exposure to liability, and minimize community
disruption. Examples include land use planning, adoption of building
codes, and elevation of homes, or acquisition and relocation of homes
away from floodplains.

Preparedness includes plans and preparations made to save lives and
property and to facilitate response operations.

Response includes actions taken to provide emergency assistance, save
lives, minimize property damage, and speed recovery immediately
following a disaster.

Recovery includes actions taken to return to a normal or improved
operating condition following a disaster.

END SIDEBAR\]

\[SIDE TIP:

Communities that already participate in other FEMA programs such as the
Community Rating System (CRS), Flood Mitigation Assistance Program
(FMA), and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), but are interested in
updating current plans to account for additional hazards and current
regulations, should skim through this guide to verify that they have a
good framework in place for their (potentially multi-hazard) planning
effort before starting the hazard identification and risk assessment
work described in the second how-to guide, Understanding Your Risks:
Identifying Hazards and Estimating Losses (FEMA 386-2). You should also
check with the State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO) for any additional
planning requirements that must be met within your particular state or
region.

END SIDE TIP\]

**Using a planning approach in hazard mitigation**

Hazard mitigation is any action that reduces the effects of future
disasters. It has been demonstrated time after time that hazard
mitigation is most effective when based on an inclusive, comprehensive,
long-term plan that is developed before a disaster actually occurs.
However, in the past, many communities have undertaken mitigation
actions with good intentions but with little advance planning. In some
of these cases, decisions have been made \"on the fly\" in the wake of a
disaster. In other cases, decisions may have been made in advance but
without careful consideration of all options, effects, and/or
contributing factors. The results have been mixed at best, leading to
less than optimal use of limited resources.

Understandably, there is often pressure to do something tangible as
quickly as possible, especially in the period immediately following a
disaster. This type of response frequently occurs at the expense of
working out which projects and policies would be the best ones to pursue
through some sort of planning process.

\[SIDE TIP:

In 1996, FEMA estimated that Oregon had avoided about \$10 million a
year in flood losses because of strong land-use planning that considers
natural hazards. This was not accomplished by accident but through the
foresight of previous Oregon administrations to call for local plans to
include inventories, policies, and ordinances to guide development in
hazard-prone areas for the previous 25 years. Using a comprehensive
approach to planning has resulted in reduced losses from flooding,
landslides, and earthquakes.

END TIP\]

The primary purpose of hazard mitigation planning is to identify
community policies, actions, and tools for implementation over the long
term that will result in a reduction in risk and potential for future
losses community-wide. This is accomplished by using a systematic
process of learning about the hazards that can affect your community or
state, setting clear goals, identifying appropriate actions, following
through with an effective mitigation strategy, and keeping the plan
current.

\[SIDE TIP:

Getting Started: Building Support for Mitigation Planning is part of a
series of guides that will help you identify, plan, and evaluate
measures that can reduce the impacts of natural hazards in your
community or state through a comprehensive and orderly process known as
Hazard Mitigation Planning.

As detailed in the Foreword, the process consists of four basic phases
as shown below. This guide, Getting Started, addresses the first phase
of the planning process, which consists of creating a mitigation
planning team that has broad representation, and developing public
support for the planning process. The second phase, Assess Risks,
explains identifying hazards and assessing losses. The third and fourth
phases, Develop a Mitigation Plan and Implement the Plan and Monitor
Progress, discuss establishing goals and priorities, selecting
mitigation projects, and writing, implementing, and revisiting the
mitigation plan, respectively.

END SIDE TIP\]

\[DIAGRAM: Flowchart of 4 step process\]

Effective planning forges partnerships that will bring together the
skills, expertise, and experience of a broad range of groups to achieve
a common vision for the community or state, and can also ensure that the
most appropriate and equitable mitigation projects will be undertaken.
Hazard mitigation planning is most successful when it increases public
and political support for mitigation programs, results in actions that
also support other important community goals and objectives, and
influences the community\'s or state\'s decision making to include
hazard reduction considerations.

Communities with up-to-date mitigation plans will be better able to
identify and articulate their needs to state and federal officials,
giving them a competitive edge when grant funding becomes available.
Planning also enables communities and states to better identify sources
of technical and financial resources outside of traditional venues.

In general, the amount of effort that citizens put into planning often
reflects the significance of the problems to members of the community.
However, since many citizens are not even aware that vulnerability to
hazards may be an issue within their community, hazard mitigation
planning is often hindered by:

-   Lack of understanding of the hazards and risks and that effective
    solutions to these issues are available;

-   Lack of readiness to begin or to invest in the process due to this
    lack of understanding; and

-   Difficulty obtaining resources to undertake a planning process.

\[SIDE TIP:

**What is Planning?**

It is important to have a good understanding of what is meant by
\"planning\" in this context. As a general practice, planning is a way
that people figure out how to accomplish a goal or solve a problem. The
methods for planning are quite varied, based on what people are trying
to do. The following examples of planning in your personal life can be
used to understand the different approaches to planning, including
mitigation planning.

Sometimes people plan as they go, literally making it up along the way.
For example, if you decide to take a weekend drive in the country with
your family, the \"plan\" simply consists of deciding when to leave the
house and the general direction you will take to get out of town. As you
travel the roadways, your family makes decisions about where to stop,
where to turn, and when to head back home, i.e., the plan continues to
be developed as it occurs. This type of planning is fine when the
desired result is simply to have an experience without a lot of specific
expectations.

When there is a more specific goal in mind, a more thoughtful planning
approach is required. For example, this time your family needs to visit
relatives in a distant city. You research and evaluate your options for
traveling, weighing the cost of various transportation alternatives
(cars, trains, airplanes, etc.) versus the amount of time it requires
for each mode of transport. You decide on a method and a time to travel
that meets your needs and budget, make the necessary travel
arrangements, and undertake the journey. In so doing, the planning
process helps you realize the goal of visiting your relatives using your
resources (in this case, time and money) in the most efficient manner.
This approach only involves a few simple steps -- researching and
comparing options, and implementation -- and works well to attain a
single distinct result.

When the ultimate goal is more complex, however, the planning process
required to reach a successful result must account for more issues and
takes a little more effort. Suppose you want to plan for your eventual
retirement so that you and your spouse will have enough funds to take
care of your basic needs and to enjoy yourselves. You (perhaps with the
help of a financial advisor) take stock of your resources and earning
potential, your likely expenses over time, and options for saving and
investing your money to provide different levels of return and security.
As part of this process, you evaluate the risk that is inherent in
different types of investments, the number of years you will be working
and saving, and a host of other factors. During the planning process,
you will probably refine and revise your retirement goals as you find
out more about what you can realistically accomplish. Also, an important
difference in this type of planning process, compared with the previous
two examples, is that you will be making decisions about how to start
your investment program, but if you are wise, you will revisit your
financial plan from time to time to make sure it continues to fit your
needs and capabilities.

In doing so, you will have embarked on a long-term planning process
that:

-   Has an overarching mission (in this example, \"attaining financial
    security\") but also allows for flexibility regarding specific
    actions to be taken as the plan develops;

-   Accounts for the interactions of a number of dynamic factors that
    might influence your decision making; and

-   Does not have a finite life span, i.e., ultimate success requires
    periodic attention through the years to make sure that your mission
    is attained.

You have also expanded your decision-making framework in such a way that
all of the other decisions in your life will now have to consider your
financial goals with respect to retirement. Your retirement goals have
now become integrated into other important decisions in your life.

END SIDE TIP\]

\[SIDE TIP:

Why Follow a Planning Process?

The planning process is as important as the plan itself. A thorough
planning process can help your community or state:

-   Create a vision of what it wants to become in the future.

-   See the big picture of how the economy, environment, and people will
    change.

-   Select and agree on common goals.

-   Involve as many people, local organizations, and businesses as
    possible.

-   Find out how much time, money, and other resources are necessary to
    create positive change.

-   Regularly evaluate the success of the plan in achieving your goals,
    and update the plan as needed to account for new information,
    changes in community goals, or new laws and regulations.

-   Develop connections with organizations and institutions that will
    sustain your planning outcomes.

END SIDE TIP\]

Elected officials have to balance many competing interests. Their
efforts and resources are often consumed by what are considered more
immediate concerns; e.g., finding solutions to congested roadways,
fluctuating economic conditions, overcrowding in schools, etc. It is
difficult sometimes to dedicate the limited resources of a community
toward dealing with a problem such as hazard risk reduction, especially
when the problem may be difficult to recognize on a daily basis.

\[SIDE TIP:

Guidelines for Community-Wide Planning

-   4 Planning is not a product, but rather a process. Effective
    planning efforts result in high-quality and useful plans, but
    written plans are only one element in the process.

-   Planning must be based on a realistic assessment of hazards and of
    the likely consequences of disaster events. Hazard and vulnerability
    assessments are integral to all community-wide planning efforts.

-   Planning efforts should be based as much as possible on a
    community\'s disaster experience, information on the experiences of
    other communities, and research-based planning principles. Both
    experience and research help communities understand what to expect
    when disasters occur.

-   No agency or organization should plan for disasters in isolation
    from other organizations whose efforts are required to make plans
    work. With this goal in mind, a critical initial task in all
    planning efforts is to identify and engage planning partners at the
    very start of the planning process.

-   In addition to being multi-organizational, the planning process must
    also be inclusive -- that is, it should involve governmental
    agencies at various levels, as well as private sector and
    community-based organizations.

-   Planning efforts should seek to provide a range of benefits and
    incentives for those involved in the process -- benefits that they
    will receive even if disasters do not occur.

-   While planning is a long-term process, that process should involve
    tangible milestones and intermediate successes on which future
    efforts can build.

> Source: Project Impact Evaluation Team, University of Delaware
> Disaster Research Center, 2002.END SIDE TIP\]

When communities or states have not experienced significant disasters
within recent memory, the true magnitude of the problem may not be
recognized. Even if the basic threats are generally known, the
descriptions often used to characterize the magnitude of events can
mislead the public as to the inherent risk. For example, a \"100-year
flood\" can sound like something you don\'t have to worry about in the
short term, but in reality it can strike at any time.

If communities do not believe that they are at risk from potential
hazards, efforts to initiate citizen involvement and partnerships may be
for naught. Many residents assume that current building codes, zoning
regulations, subdivision review processes, and/or permitting will
adequately protect them, but this is not always the case. Education is a
key part of the planning process, and overcoming a lack of awareness
should be an integral part of the planning process.

A community self-assessment tool is provided in Step 1 of this guide to
determine what issues may need to be tackled before any significant
efforts in planning are initiated. This guide points you in the
direction of a number of resources that can be used to help convince the
right people that mitigation planning is worth the effort and is a good
investment for the future of your community or state. This is
particularly important early on to set the proper context for the
initiation of partnerships and citizen involvement throughout the
planning process. The results of your self-assessment can be folded into
your capability assessment (Phase 3 of the planning process) to help
define the appropriate mitigation actions your community will support.
Furthermore, this guide provides information on various ways mitigation
planning may be integrated into existing community or state planning
processes so that over time, hazard reduction becomes part of the fabric
of planning for community growth and change, and is not seen as an
additional or adjunct planning effort. This integration will also enable
communities to seek out resources for mitigation planning that
previously may have been overlooked as viable.

This introductory material assumes that you, the reader, have some
knowledge of hazard mitigation but do not know much about mitigation
planning. This guide also assumes you are uncertain about how much
support you may have within your community or state to undertake such an
effort. This guide provides you, and others like yourself, background
information and basic steps to help you organize and initiate your
planning effort.

**How do you use this and other how-to guides?**

Developing a plan is a first step toward an end or goal. This guide
shows how to use the planning process to reach your goal(s) and to
engage key people to buy in and create momentum toward that end.

The planning process is as individual as the jurisdiction that engages
in it. Each community or state approaches growth and change in a unique
way, and your planning process should fit your community\'s particular
\'personality.\' As a result, you should not consider the step-by-step
sequence included in this and other how-to guides to be the only way to
pursue mitigation planning. At the same time, the process illustrated
here is based on certain steps common to successful planning. Getting
Started provides detailed information on the first of four phases of the
hazard mitigation planning process as described in the how-to guides.

Organize Resources. The first phase of the mitigation planning process
includes assessing your readiness to plan, establishing a planning team,
securing political support, and engaging the community.

\[DIAGRAM: Flowchart of 4 step process with first step, Organize
Resources, highlighted and displaying 3 steps of its own\]

Assess Risks. The second phase of the mitigation planning process
involves identifying and evaluating natural hazards and preparing damage
loss estimates. Knowing where hazards can affect your built environment
and the likely outcome of damages and losses resulting from a hazard
event will help you focus on your most important assets first. This will
build the scientific and technical foundations of your mitigation
strategy. This phase of the mitigation planning process is explained in
Understanding Your Risks: Identifying Hazards and Estimating Losses
(FEMA 386-2).

\[SIDE TIP:

If after reviewing these materials, you feel you have completed all the
steps in Phase 1 as a result of other related planning processes, then
go to Phase 2, Assess Risks -- Understanding Your Risks (FEMA 386-2).

END SIDE TIP\]

Develop a Mitigation Plan. The third phase of the mitigation planning
process builds on the risk assessment by developing the mitigation goals
and objectives and ensuring that you are focusing on the identified
risks and potential losses. This phase focuses on identifying mitigation
measures to help achieve your goals and objectives and reduce future
disaster-related losses, and then capture your efforts in a written plan
document. This phase of the mitigation planning process will be
explained in Developing a Mitigation Plan: Identifying Mitigation
Measures and Implementation Strategies (FEMA 386-3).

Implement and Monitor Progress. The fourth phase of the mitigation
planning process involves adopting, implementing, monitoring, and
reviewing the plan to ensure that the plan\'s goals and objectives are
met. Periodic review of the plan will help keep the plan current,
reflecting the changing needs of the community or state. This phase of
the mitigation planning process will be explained in Bringing the Plan
to Life: Assuring the Success of the Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA
386-4).

\[DMA:

FEMA developed guidance to meet planning criteria in DMA 2000 for
communities with plans created under other FEMA programs. Some states
may have criteria that meet or exceed the recommendations for planning
found in this document. Contact your state emergency management office
for additional guidance regarding the unique planning considerations
within your state.

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 is also driving the strengthening of
many pre-existing mitigation planning requirements for
non-mitigation-related programs. For example, the Fire Management
Assistance Grant Program was authorized by Section 420 of the Stafford
Act and by DMA 2000, and provides for the amelioration, management, and
control of any fire on publicly or privately owned forest or grassland
that threatens such destruction as would constitute a major disaster.
Assistance must be requested while the fire is still burning and
constitutes the threat of a major disaster. Grants are provided through
the Grantee to state and local governments and Indian tribal governments
at a 75 percent federal cost-share provided that fire hazards are
addressed in an existing state mitigation plan. Program regulations for
the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program are located in 44 CFR Part
204.

END DMA\]

The planning process outlined in this series of how-to guides will help
you meet the basic planning requirements of FEMA\'s mitigation programs.
You must keep in mind, however, that different FEMA mitigation programs,
such as those in Table 1, sometimes have different planning requirements
that must be met to be eligible for participation in these programs.
Therefore, when submitting a plan, you can either tailor it according to
the specific criteria of the program, or submit a comprehensive,
multi-hazard plan that includes a \"crosswalk,\" i.e., identify for the
reviewer what sections of the plan address the program\'s requirements.
For example, if you are completing a Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
program or Community Rating System (CRS) plan, it may need to be
expanded to receive credit under DMA 2000, but if you complete a DMA
plan, all other program requirements are likely to be met.

\[TABLE:

Table 1. Hazard Mitigation Planning Process Local Planning Requirements
by Program

END TABLE\]

**Types of information found in the how-to series**

The how-to series contains several types of information. Some
information is highlighted with icons. Additional information can be
found in Appendix B, Library. To illustrate how the how-to information
is used, newspaper articles of the fictional town of Hazardville are
provided.

Icons

Guidance focused solely on the role of \"states\" is identified as a
sidebar with this icon. Although much of the information will be the
same for local, tribal, and state governments, there are different
requirements for state and local mitigation plans. Furthermore, states
have additional responsibilities to assist local entities in their
planning efforts. Guidance focusing on local governments applies to
tribes as well.

\[IMAGE of STATES icon\]

The \"DMA\" icon provides information relating to the mitigation
planning requirements outlined in the Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) of
2000.

\[IMAGE of DMA icon\]

The \"Caution\" icon alerts you to important information and ways to
avoid sticky situations later in the planning process.

\[IMAGE of CAUTIONicon\]

The \"Glossary\" icon identifies terms and concepts for which a detailed
explanation is provided in the Glossary included in Appendix A.

\[IMAGE of GLOSSARY icon\]

The \"Tips\" icon identifies helpful hints and useful information that
can be used in the planning process.

\[Illustration of TIPS icon\]

Library

A mitigation planning \"Library\" has been included in Appendix B. The
library has a wealth of information, including Web addresses, reference
books, and other contact information to help get you started. All of the
Web sites and references listed in the how-to guide are included in the
library.

Town of Hazardville Articles

Applications of the various steps in the mitigation planning process are
illustrated through a fictional community, the Town of Hazardville,
located in the State of Emergency. Hazardville, a small community with
limited resources and multiple hazards, is developing a multi-hazard
mitigation plan. Newspaper accounts illustrate the various steps in the
mitigation planning process.

\[SIDEBAR:

**The Hazardville Post** Vol. CXI No. 65 Thursday, January 22, 2002

**Mayor Declares a New Way of Thinking for the Town of Hazardville**

\[Hazardville, EM\] Mayor McDonald returned from the annual National
Conference of Mayors last week seemingly a new man. \"It all fits now,
like finding a giant missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle!\" Mayor McDonald
excitedly proclaimed in a press conference yesterday. The Mayor attended
several workshops focusing on communities that have incorporated
sustainable development concepts into their city, county, and town
planning. \"These communities are now safer places to live, work and do
business, and I want that for Hazardville as well,\" McDonald said.

A major component of this sustainable development is hazard mitigation,
which is any action that reduces or eliminates the loss of life or
property damage resulting from hazards such as floods, earthquakes,
hazardous material spills, and tornadoes. Mayor McDonald said,
\"Although we have a Floodplain Administrator, we really haven\'t
considered the many other types of natural and human-caused hazards,
which is surprising when you consider that we seem to be vulnerable to
many different hazards. Our community has not been using the planning
department to deal with risk reduction, and after a closer look, I feel
our planning department should play a larger role in supporting risk
reduction programs. The planning department maintains a wealth of
information on existing infrastructure, buildings, and population
demographics, and keeps up with growth issues in and around Hazardville.
It also manages the local planning process, and thus understands what is
important to citizens as Hazardville grows and changes. They are in a
pivotal position to help guide our mitigation planning process.\"

Mayor McDonald has been very busy meeting in closed-door sessions with
members of the Town Council and several members of the town government
this week. He has promised to release more information in the next few
days.

Worksheet

Finally, to help track your progress, a worksheet has been developed to
correspond with Step 2 of this guide. This worksheet is included at the
end of Step 2 and also in Appendix C. Use this form to record your
progress as you undertake the process of building support for mitigation
planning.

\[Diagram of the hazard mitigation planning process and the three steps
of organizing resources\]