FLOOD01390

• County: Statewide
• Title: Standard Operating Procedures Manual for Interagency Hazard Mitigation Teams
• Date: 3/1/1984
• Prepared For: US
• Prepared By: FEMA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Historic FEMA Regulatory Floodplain Information

HAZARD MITIGATION
QUESTION AND ANSWER SHEET

WHAT rs HAZARD MITIGATrON?

Hazard mitigation is the REDUCTION or ELIMINATION of any threat to life
and property. Because average annual flood losses have been estimated
to be nearly 4 billion dollars, hazard mitigation activities at the
Federal level have concentrated on encouraging the wise use of the
nation's floodplains,

HOW IS HAZARD MITIGATION ACHIEVED?

One way is by activating an INTERGOVERNMENTAL INTERAGENCY TEAM to survey
the disaster area and quickly identify opportunities for hazard mitiga-
tion. The team then makes recommendations that address these oppor-
tunities. Mitigation is LONG-TERM. It is thus up to the team to
develop recommendations that:

a) Redirect the way a hazard interacts with people
by protecting affected communities. REDUCTION

b) Act upon the hazard to lower the frequency and
intensity of its occurrence. PREVENTION

c) Alter the way people live so that the effects
of a hazard can be eliminated, AVOIDANCE

It is then up to the State and local communities to follow up on these
recommendations and incorporate them into their recovery plans.

WHO IS ON THE TEAM?

The team is comprised of State and local representatives and delegates
from as many as twelve Federal agencies, depending on the nature and
scope of the disaster. The intent of the TEAM CONCEPT is to bring
together a wide range of expertise in the fields of damage assessment
and disaster recovery, and to use that expertise to identify mitigation
opportunities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has the respon-
sibility of coordinating the team activities.

WHAT DOES THE TEAM DO?

The role of the Hazard Mitigation Team is to produce RECOMMENDATIONS for
achieving mitigation based on observation and analysis during the period