According to FEMA, effective hazard mitigation requires that we all understand local risks, address the hard choices, and invest in long-term community well-being. Without such actions, we ultimately put our safety, financial well-being and self-reliance at risk. And, that’s not something that any of us what to do inadvertently by not having a current, FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan (HMP). Fortunately, help is available, and at a much lower cost than you probably expect. BOLDplanning is well-versed in the development and updating of HMPs for state, local and tribal governments across the country.
On December 29, 2017, FEMA reported that all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories (Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have agency-approved state mitigation plans. A total of 20,553 local governments have current (FEMA-approved or approvable-pending-adoption) local mitigation plans, and an additional 53 tribal governments have current tribal mitigation plans. These numbers equate to over 83 percent of the nation’s population living in communities with current mitigation plans. That’s good news.
But, where does this leave the other 17 percent? Most likely in need of assistance. And, sooner rather than lat