GOHSEP Elected_Officials_Manual_2015

GOHSEP
Louisiana Elected Officials
Emergency Management Manual
Prepare + Prevent + Respond + Recover + mitigate
6.1 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP)
It is important to understand how hazard mitigation relates to emergency management. In
the early 1980s, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was charged with developing
a structure for how Federal, State and local governments respond to disasters. FEMA identified
the phases of emergency management. Hazard mitigation initiatives disrupt the cycle of
disaster, damages, repair, another disaster, damages, repair . . .
Hazard Mitigation is described by FEMA and the Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) as any sustained
action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to
life and property from a hazard event. Section 322 of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (Stafford Act), as amended by DMA 2000, provides for
States, Federally recognized Native American Tribes and
local governments to undertake a risk-based approach
to reducing risks to natural hazards through mitigation
planning.
Mitigate
Recover
Prepare/Prevent
Respond
Event
FEMA published an Interim Final Rule that sets forth the guidance and regulations under which DMA
2000-compliant State Hazard Mitigation Plans (SHMPs) are to be developed. This Interim Final Rule
provides detailed descriptions of the planning process that States and localities are required to observe.
Hazard mitigation reduces vulnerability so that
communities are better protected from the impacts of a
disaster and are able to recover more quickly should a
disaster occur. Local mitigation plans are important.
They represent the jurisdiction’s commitment to an allhazards
approach to reduce risks from hazards and serve
as a guide for decision makers as they allocate resources
to reduce the effects of natural hazards. The SHMP serves as
a strategy for the implementation of mitigation activities in
Louisiana.
A Hazard Mitigation Plan . . .
q Articulates the Planning Process.
q Includes a Risk Assessment.
q Identifies Mitigation Strategies.
q Provides for Plan Maintenance.
q Requires Plan Adoption.
6.1 Local HMP Page 1 of 3
Revised: December 21, 2014