Hazard Mitigation and Resiliency Planning

Question 1

Hazard Mitigation

Answer 1

defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as “any action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards”.

Question 2

Wildfire fire defensible space

Answer 2

is the area around a home or other structure that has been modified to reduce fire hazards. In this area, natural and manmade fuels are treated, cleared, or reduced to slow the spread of wildfire.

Question 3

The Role of Planners in Post-Disaster Reconstruction

Answer 3

Reconstruction Following Disaster by Haas, Kates, and Bowden (1977) divides disaster into four overlapping phases of response and recovery

1. the emergency period covers the initial hours or days following the disaster when the community is forced to cope with losses in lives and property.
2. the restoration period covers the time following the emergency period until major urban service and transportation are restored, evacuees returned, and rubble is removed.
3. during the replacement reconstruction period, the city rebuilds capital stock to pre-disaster levels and social and economic activities return to their previous levels
4. Finally, in the commemorative, betterment, and developmental reconstruction period, major reconstruction activities take place and future growth and development begin to take hold.

Question 4

Adaptation

Answer 4

the adjustment of human and natural systems in response to actual or expected effects of climate change.

Question 5

Major Disaster

Answer 5

a major disaster is defined as “any natural catastrophe (including any hirricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind driven water, tidal wave, tsunamis, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the US, which in the determination of the president causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under the Stafford Disaster Relief Act.

Question 6

Stafford Disaster Relief Act

Answer 6

defines an emergency as any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the president, Federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and protect property and public health and safety, or lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the US.

Question 7

Hazard Mitigation

Answer 7

Includes the actions taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.

Question 8

Safe Growth

Answer 8

a term for building environments that are safe for current and future generations- protecting buildings, infrastructure, and the natural environment from damage.

Question 9

Resilience

Answer 9

refers to the ability of a community to return to its original form after it ahs been changed. resiliency is often used to refer to a community’s ability to recover from a natural hazard, economic shock, or other major events. One example of resilience planning is the Resilience Building Coalition’s efforts to modify the design and building standards to make more resilient communities.

Question 10

Substantial Damage

Answer 10

means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before-damage condition would equal or exceed 50% of the market value or replacement cost of the structure before the damage occurred.

Question 11

Substantial Improvement

Answer 11

Any reconstruction, rehabilitation addition, or other improvements of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement.

Question 12

Planner’s Role in Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Management

Answer 12

The planner’s role in hazard mitigation is to prepare complementary goals and objectives in the comprehensive plan, raising awareness in the community about hazard mitigation and engaging stakeholders

Hazard mitigation works best when completely integrated into the comprehensive plan, becoming a normal part of daily planning activities. This includes integrating it into: land use and future development, transportation, housing, economic development, public facilities and infrastructure, natural resources protection, historic properties and cultural resources.

Some states require some or all local governments to develop local plans that integrate hazard mitigation.

The key to hazard mitigation is to act before a disaster. this ties directly into land use regulations, which are critical to supporting hazard mititgation (one example: enforcing setbacks from waterfronts to minimize flooding impacts). Planning and hazard mitigation invoke the police power, protecting the health, safety and welfare of citizens.

A planner can also be engaged in damage assessment following a disaster. the planning department may engage in a development moratorium, the issuance of repair permits, preparing demolition regulations, zoning for temporary housing and eminent domain of property impacted by a disaster.

Planners are responsible for hazard identification and risk assessment. for example, in an area prone to earthquakes, planners should be concerned with the integrity of buildings and infrastructure to prevent collapse. planners need to understand the appropriate codes and identify areas and infrastructure that may need seismic upgrades. There can be ground failure where weak or unstable soil can lead to liquefication, where soil becomes a viscous fluid under the impact of ground vibration from shear waves.

Question 13

Major Federal Legislation Related to Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Recovery

Answer 13

1950 Federal Disaster relief act

1966 Disaster Relief Act of 1066

1968 National Flood Insurance Act

1969 Disaster Relief Act of 1969

1970 Disaster Assistance Act of 1970

1973 Flood Disaster Protection Act

1974 Disaster Relief Act of 1974

1977 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act

1979 Creation of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

1988 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act

1994 National Flood Insurance Reform Act

2000 Disaster Mitigation Act

Question 14

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act

Answer 14

This act constitutes the authority of the federal government, FEMA, to respond to a disaster. The Stafford Act outlines four primary components of a state hazard mitigation plan, outline in section 409 of the act:

1. An evaluation of the natural hazard in the designated area.
2. A description and analysis of the state and local hazard management policies, programs, and capabilities to mitigate the hazards in the area.
3. hazard mitigation goals and objectives and proposed strategies, programs, and actions to reduce long term vulnerability to hazards
4. a method of implementing monitoring, evaluating, and updating the mitigation plan; such evaluation is to occur at least on an annual basis to ensure that implementation occurs as planned, and ensure that the plan remains current.y

The Stafford Act was amended in the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, which requires local governments to prepare and adopt hazard mitigation plans.

Question 15

Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000

Answer 15

Focuses on prevention. Before the act was signed, emergency mangers’ planning usually focused on preparing for and responding to disasters. After the act was passed, emergency managers began using a more proactive planning process. Leading their communities through that process resulted in FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plans. Plans are required to receive certain types of FEMA assistance.

Question 16

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

Answer 16

In 1994, the National Flood Insurance Act established the National Flood Insurance Program. The program’s community rating system (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Under the floodplain management planning category, communities can receive points for:

Organizing and preparing a plan, involving the public, coordinating with other agencies, assessing the hazard, assessing the problem, setting goals, reviewing possible activities, drafting an action plan, adopting the plan and implementing, evaluating and revising the plan.