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<br /> <br />ESSENTIAL STEPS <br /> <br />tion for their losses (]s they hegin to recO\'er. The insurance industry could facilitate mitigation by pnJ\'iding <br />inFormation and education. helping to create model codes. offering IllIane-ial illccntiH'S that encourage miti- <br />gation. and limiting the <.l\'ClilabiJity of insurance jn high-klLard areas. <br />The industry already has problems providing inslHance in an-'~lS suhject to catastrophic losses because <br />lllaIl)' illsurers do 1101 ha\'(.~ the [('somet's to pay for a worst-CtlSe event. Furthermore, the current regulalory <br />systern makes it difficult to aggregate adequate capilallo co\'er lu\\-fn_'l]lIl'IlCY but high-consequence {,\'f'nts. <br /> <br />NEW TECH.'\'OLOGY Computer-mediated communication systems, geographic information systems <br />(CISl, remoll' sensing, electronic decision-support systems, and risk-analysis techniques have de\'eloped sub- <br />stantially during lhe last t\\O dccadcs ami sho\\' great promise for supporting sustainahle hazard mitigation. <br />For e\:<lmple, CIS models enahle managers to consolidate information from a range or disciplillcs, including <br />the natural and social sciences and engineering, and to furmulatc plans <lccordingly. <br />H.emote sensing can be used to rnake land-use maps and sho\\' changes on'r timf', feed information to GIS <br />models, and galher informalioll inlhe \\~lkc or dis~lsters. Finally. decision ,support systems can fill a gap in haz- <br />~lf(ls rIwnagc[1lcnt by analyzing information from core <hltahasf's, including data on building inventories, infra- <br />structure, demographics, and risk. The systems can then be used to ask '''\'hat-if' questions ~lbout future lossps <br />to inform today's decision making. Such systems arc no\\' constrained by the bcl or comprelwnsiye local data. <br />but they \\'ill become mure impurtant as the prm:ess of C'\<llmlting and managing risk grO\\'s in complexity <br /> <br />The shih to a sustainable approw.:h to ha/.arJ mitigation "ill require eXlraordil1ar~ actions. I !ere are seH~r<ll <br />cssential steps: note lhal many ifliti~ll cfforts are already under way. <br />BLTllD LOCAL ~En\'ORKS, CAPABIUTI', A:\'D CO:'\SE:"JSL'S. Today hal.ard specialists, elllcrgcllcy phlllllcrs. <br />resource managers, community planners, and other local stakeholders seck 10 solvc problems 011 their 0\\'11. <br />All cl(lprmlCh is IlC'cd"J 10 forge local cons('nslIs on dis,lster resiliency and nurture it through the complex <br />challt-'l1ges of planning and implementation. <br />One potential approach is a "sustainahle hazard mitigation net\\'ork" in each of the nation's comlllunitics <br />that \\'ould engage in collaborative problem solving. Each network \\'oldd produce an inlcgr~ltC'd, comprehcn- <br />sive p1anlinkiIlg !aml-L1sc, endronmclltal. social, and economic goals. An effective plan \\'Ould also identify <br />haLards, C'slimate potential losses, and assf'SS the region's environmental carrying capacity. The stakeholder <br />network especially nf'eds to df'tf'rmine the amount and kind of damage that those who experience disasters <br />can hear. These plans would enahle policymakers. businesses, and residents to understand the limitations of <br />their region and \vork together to address them. Full consensus may ncn:r be reached, but thc process is key <br />be(.'ause it GlIl gCllCrcllC' ideas and fosler Ihe sense of community rf'quired to mitigate hazards. <br />This kind of holistic approach ",ill also situate mitigation in the context of other community goals that. <br /> <br />9 <br />