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<br />THE NEXT STEP: CONCWSION <br /> <br />This report has described how states are investing in the health and safety of their <br />communities through the implementation of various types of mitigation, from build- <br />ing retroffitng to public awareness campaigns. As FEMA Director James Lee Witt has <br />noted, mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management, a necessary and <br />proactive step that our communities must take to break the cycle of response and <br />recovery following disasters. <br /> <br />I" <br /> <br />States are doing their part by spending over a billion dollars in mitigation during fiscal <br />year 1997 alone. States are increasingly focusing on pre-disaster mitigation and other <br />strategies that will cut the short and long-term cost of disasters and repetitive loss, <br />while at the same time better preparing themselves for any emergency. Increasingly, <br />states are spending more on their emergency management programs and establish- <br />ing funding mechanisms for mitigation programs. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Yet states are also discovering that securing funds for mitigation is sometimes not <br />easy. State emergency management programs must compete with many other <br />worthwhile public services in an era of tight budgets. <br /> <br />Mitigation proponents are also challenged with demonstrating the benefits of mitiga- <br />tion, because while the rewards may be reaped as soon as the next disaster strikes, <br />the value of such projects may not be realized for several years. They are learning that <br />a financial commitment to mitigation may hinge on the ability to generate funding on <br />an annual basis and to secure political and popular support. <br /> <br />For that reason, state emergency management agencies are making the most of <br />available resources and working closely with their local and federal partners, as well <br />as homebuilders and building code officials, to join forces and leverage resources. <br />More importantly, states are beginning to look outside traditional boundaries to the <br />insurance industry, citizen groups and businesses. <br /> <br />In conclusion, <br />most states <br />have made <br />great strides in <br />implementing <br />pro-active <br />measures to <br />help mitigate <br />against the <br />many natural <br />and man-made disasters before they strike. States agree that the rising costs associ- <br />ated with disasters are unacceptable and only by making the investments today will <br />we be truly ready and able to face tomorrow's emergencies. <br /> <br />10 successfully <br />mitigate against <br />disaster will <br />require the <br />combined talents <br />and concerted <br />efforts of all levels <br />of government, <br />academia, <br />professional and <br />voluntary <br />organizations, the <br />corporate sector, <br />and all Americans." <br />-President Bill <br />Clinton <br /> <br />Only by making the investments today <br />will we be truly ready and able to face <br />tomorrow's emergencies <br /> <br />I Investing in Our Future: Report on Trends in State Mitigation Spending L!!J <br />