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<br />At least two important by-products have emerged from the Task Force pianning <br />process: (1) a truiy integrated and coordinated state strategy to guide hazard <br />mitigation and post-disaster redevelopment, and (2) an educated and informed <br />constituency across the state that is increasingly active in the formuiation and <br />impiementation of pubiic policies that address hazard mitigation, <br /> <br />Today, the state of North Carolina is in the midst of an important transformation, <br />The unprecedented damages and economic losses from Hurricane Fran, coupled <br />with an intensive post,disaster recovery program, have created a new level of <br />awareness and understanding of the vuinerabiiity of communities and businesses, <br />Hazard mitigation - those actions taken to permanently reduce or eiiminate long- <br />term risk to people and their property from the effects of hazards - is increasingiy <br />recognized as an integral feature of community planning and decision-making, In <br />addition, it is recognized as integral to the long-term sustainabiiity of communities, <br /> <br />A centrai tenet and unifying theme of the Disaster Recovery 'Task Force Report <br />holds that if the state is to make significant progress towards reducing hazard <br />vuinerabiiity, then communities need to effectively engage in mitigation pianning, <br />They need to be empowered to adopt and implement appropriate hazard mitiga- <br />tion measures. <br /> <br />The Hazard Mitigation Planning Initiative (HMPI), a new statewide program, has <br />been launched by the North Carolina Emergency Management Division (NCEMD) in <br />11 pilot communities, The initiative is part of a comprehensive, long-term effort to <br />focus, integrate, and apply the principles and practice of mitigation at the commu- <br />nity ieveL The HMPI provides a planning and organizational framework for the <br />phased integration of mitigation programs into mainstream community decision- <br />making, One of the defining characteristics is the emphasis given to building <br />partnerships with the business community <br /> <br />About This Report <br /> <br />While it is increasingly evident that the State of North Caroiina is beginning to <br />embrace a "mitigation ethic," there have been relatively few efforts to capture and <br />document successful mitigation practices, Hazard Mitigation Successes in the State <br />oj North Carolina (Hazard Mitigation Successes) begins the documentation process, <br />This is not an exhaustive compendium of mitigation successes, but rather the first <br />in a proposed series of publications to highlight successful initiatives, The term <br />"success" is applied in a broad sense, Some initiatives, induding the Blue Sky <br />Foundation of North Carolina and the residentiai elevation projects in Beaufort <br />County, are stiil in the early stages of deveiopment, it wiil be years before the <br />success of these projects can be gauged, They are featured in Hazard Mitigation <br />Successes because they represent an important shift in North Caroiina's mitigation <br />strategy, The lessons learned from these initiatives need to be shared, <br /> <br /> <br />iI'0',4;,:~'U','U:~* 't $"I ; ;, t j ~ , ~ ~ ~ ' " ' <br />'!~lr:;;;";l~'_;lHl~ i ~~~~~,~ <br />