explain what mitigation

HLSC 600

Lecture Notes: Mitigation

Mitigation is a type of long-term, pre-disaster planning which involves sustained expenditures on structural and non-structural efforts to reduce or eliminate future risks. Mitigation plans and activities are, in practice, usually medium to long term, and mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management since it is a classic example of thinking ahead which pays off in the long run. Terminologically, mitigation is related to two other concepts of long-term planning: reconstruction and preparedness. Reconstruction means repair or rebuilding, and preparedness means getting ready or practicing to respond. Mitigation means to lessen the effects or take action toward the building and putting together of certain structures and plans so that the impact of any future disaster will be ameliorated, or eliminated, if possible. Amelioration means to change things for the better, and impact can be understood as the consequences, or the likelihood of something happening in the first place, if the latter is theoretically possible.

Some simple examples of mitigation activities that an emergency manager might include are promoting flood insurance, urging the structural redesign of buildings, raising or moving homes from flood zones, or just making sure there are appropriate building codes within certain communities. Mitigation planning involves an assessment of the threats facing a community, such as the likelihood of a terrorist attack, and an assessment of possible targets. Terrorist mitigation is a somewhat controversial phrase which implies special plans and practices for terrorism needed to supplement an all-hazards approach. Mitigation planning is an ongoing process, with continual reassessments as necessary to ensure proper preparedness. Some experts argue that there is such a thing as post-disaster mitigation, and that pre-disaster mitigation ought to be called prevention. The usual division of mitigation into two (2) categories -- (1) structural and (2) non-structural-- is intended to denote the importance of integrated planning in mitigation; that is, the kind of planning which efficiently balances a combination of engineering solutions (like moving homes) with political solutions (like changing the zoning abatements for a community). Some solutions only have a short window of opportunity to capitalize on public and political support. Non-structural solutions are often brought in when engineering solutions have become very costly and/or have not resulted in a substantial reduction in losses. Evacuation planning is sometimes considered a type of non-structural mitigation, but evacuation, as a topic, is more suitable for a discussion about response and recovery.