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<br />002833 <br /> <br />U.S. Congress or state legislatures to provide for site investigations in <br />landslide areas, avoidance of hazardous areas, or stabilization of slopes. <br /> <br />Less popular among elected officials, but equally effective, are financial <br />"disincentives" which act as deterrents to the use and development of <br />hazardous areas. A "disincentive" could reduce the federal share of a grant <br />if the facility to be funded were to be located in a landslide area. For <br />example, the U.S. Congress (1973) introduced provisions into the flood <br />disaster Protection Act of 1973 for withholding federal benefits from <br />flood-prone communities that chose not to participate in the National Flood <br />Insurance Program. In providing loans and grants for disaster recovery, the <br />U.S. Congress (1974a) requires local and state governments to evaluate and <br />mitigate hazards. Federal programs that could be used as both incentives or <br />disincentives to mitigate the impacts of landsliding on society are listed in <br />Chapter 6, Table 6.4. <br /> <br />Landslide Mitigation as Condition of Disaster Aid - Landslide damage costs <br />governments millions of dollars annually, some in direct disaster aid. One <br />method now in use for reducing these public expenditures is the requirement <br />for hazard mitigation measures as a condition to receiving landslide disaster <br />aid. <br /> <br />Over the years, the state and federal government shares of all post-disaster <br />recovery costs has risen Sharply. Governments pay for disasters not only <br />through direct assistance, but also through tax deductions for property losses <br />and low cost loans for recovery. The Colorado Disaster Act of 1973 and the <br />Federal Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-288) address this <br />increasing burden by attaching hazard reduction conditions to disaster aid. <br />Both the state and federal governments require that jurisdictions receiving <br />aid take steps to evaluate and mitigate natural hazards. The implementing <br />regulations require local aid recipients to evaluate natural hazards, develop <br />land-use plans, and set standards for construction practices. <br /> <br />Section 406 of Public Law 93-288 is a powerful tool by which the federal <br />government can require local governments, as a condition of receiving aid, to <br />promise to improve regulations for land-use and construction practices. <br />Unfortunately, it is difficult to force states to implement the plans after <br />the disaster aid has been paid, and it is unlikely that FEMA would withhold <br /> <br />- 48 - <br />