It means soften the blow or lessen the effects.
Mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management.
It describes the ongoing effort at the Federal, State, Local and individual levels to lessen the impact of disasters upon our lives. Buying flood insurance to protect your belongings. Developing, adopting and enforcing effective building codes and standards. Developing and implementing beach renourishment programs. This is a home on Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina that was all but destroyed during hurricane Fran in 1996.