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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />PPOO-13 <br /> <br />Mary Fran Myers <br />Natural Hazards Center <br />University of Colorado <br />Campus Box 482 <br />Boulder, CO 80309-0482 <br />303-492-2150; fax: 303-492-2151 <br />myersmf@colorado.edu <br /> <br />Recommendations from the Second <br />"Assessment of Research and Applications for Natural Hazards" <br /> <br />In 1999, the results of the Natural Hazards Center's project to take stock of what is known and not <br />known about naturlll hazards and programs to reduce damages from them were released in Disasters by <br />Design: A Reassessment a/Natural Hazards in the United States (Mileti, Dennis S., Joseph Henry Press, <br />1999). The book makes several recommendations on policy and research steps that should be undertaken to <br />facilitate a shift to "sustainable hazard mitigation" in the United States. These are summarized below: <br /> <br />FOSTER LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY <br />Undertake no mitigation actions unless they also contribute to (or at least do not detract from) other <br />aspects of sustainability including: environmental quality, economic vitality, general quality of life, 10ng- <br />term disaster resiliency, and inter- and intra-generational equity, and are based on a local participatory <br />process. <br /> <br />BUILD LOCAL NETWORKS, CAPABILITY, AND CONSENSUS <br />Develop prototype local networks and regional projects to foster local responsibility for consensus- <br />based mitigation planning and develop decision support systems that enable locals to assess the impact of <br />today's development decisions on disaster losses for future generations. <br /> <br />ESTABLISH A HOLISTIC GOVERNMENT FRAMEWORK <br />Reexamine the statutory and regulatory foundation of mitigation in light of sustainability. Potential <br />changes include limiting the subsidization of risk; making better use of incentives; and federal guidance for <br />land use. <br /> <br />CONDUCT A NATIONWIDE HAZARD AND RISK ASSESSMENT <br />Perform an assessment of the nation's physical, social, and constructed systems (at a scale useful <br />at the local level) in order to estimate hazards and vulnerability interactively and comprehensively. <br /> <br />BUILD NATIONAL DATABASES <br />Collect standardized data on losses due to disasters and on costs and effectiveness of mitigation <br />measures, and create a repositQry.fllr hazard-related social science data. <br /> <br />PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION AND TRAINING <br />Create interdisciplinary and holistic degree programs for the future hazards and emergency manager <br />who must tackle problems involving complex physical and social systems. <br /> <br />MEASURE PROGRESS <br />Evaluate current mitigation programs to assess their true impact on sustainability and conduct <br />systematic post-audits following disasters to synthesize and apply new knowledge gleaned from the event. <br /> <br />SHARE INFORMATION INTERNATIONALLY <br />Collaborate with disaster and development experts around the globe to address the root causes of <br />vulnerability to extreme environmental events. <br />