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<br /> <br />State of Colorado 1276-DR-CO <br />Interagency Hazard Mitigation Team Report <br /> <br />July 1999 <br /> <br />Colorado Natural Hazards Mitigation Council <br /> <br />For the past two decades, Colorado has experienced rapid population and business growth. <br />Pressures have increased to build structures in floodplains, on steep slopes, in wildfire areas, and <br />other locations previously considered unsafe or too costly to develop. Recognizing these issues, <br />former Governor Roy Romer signed an executive order establishing the Colorado Natural <br />Hazards Mitigation Council (CNHMC) in March of 1989. The Council was created as an <br />interdisciplinary forum for exchanging information and promoting ways to reduce and manage <br />impacts from natural hazards. <br /> <br />The Council is composed of almost three hundred volunteer committee members in the State of <br />Colorado. The Council is organized into technical and hazard specific committees. The <br />technical committees are Public Affairs and the Steering Committee, Hazard specific <br />committees include Severe Weather, Dam Safety, Fire Management and Mitigation, Drought, <br />Geologic Hazards, and Flood. A recently formed Policy Advisory Group will guide overall <br />strategy. <br /> <br />The primary duties of the Council are to: <br /> <br />. Prioritize natural hazards in the State and review existing mitigation plans <br />. Develop a mitigation management strategy involving various levels of government <br />. Provide information and technical assistance to local governments and individuals <br /> <br />Through its volunteer committees, the Council has supported over one hundred mitigation <br />projects since its inception. These include: <br /> <br />. Pre and post.disaster mitigation workshops for homeowners and businesses in Canon <br />City, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Rifle and Lyons <br />. Major flood mitigation activities in Lyons and the San Luis Valley <br />. Publication of The Mitigation Siren newsletter <br />. GIS familiarization workshops <br />. A hazard awareness contest for children <br />. Dam Safety and Emergency Planning brochures <br />. Publication of a Citizens Emergency Preparedness Guide <br /> <br />As an organization unique in this state, the Colorado Natural Hazards Mitigation Council is <br />afforded a great opportunity to identify and mitigate hazards prior to major disasters, State, <br />Federal and local governments, as well as the private and academic sectors, are working together <br />as a dynamic coalition to address these significant issues in a systematic and timely fashion. <br /> <br />8 <br />