Release Date: January 19, 2007
Release Number: 1604--505
» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina
BILOXI, Miss. -- As families, businesses and communities rebuild across Mississippi, they can make their future more secure by rebuilding wisely.
Hazard mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from a hazard event. In other words, it’s the practice of preparing property to withstand the impact of future disasters.
Hazard mitigation projects apply tried and true strategies to building practices to reduce or eliminate the impact of hazard events. Far from simply rebuilding a community’s infrastructure back to its pre-disaster condition, mitigation techniques make the property safer and stronger. This saves the community money and time in the aftermath of future disasters and helps prevent much of the disruption associated with disasters.
Across the state, money for mitigation projects is at work. The cities of Gulfport and Biloxi were each awarded grants for more than $100,000 from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency administers these funds. HMGP funds are activated following a disaster declaration and can be used to fund projects to protect either public or private property. The project must fit within the state’s and local governments’ overall mitigation strategy and comply with HMGP guidelines. Seventy-seven Mississippi counties have developed and received FEMA approval for their hazard mitigation plans.
A study by the Multihazard Mitigation Council, part of the National Institute of Building Sciences, shows that every $1 paid toward mitigation saves an average of $4 in future disaster-related costs. Here are four examples of home mitigation techniques:
Disasters can occur anytime during the year. Rebuilding wisely now for a safer, more secure future could make the difference.
For more information on mitigation best practices or proper rebuilding techniques for homes, property or businesses, visit the FEMA website at www.fema.gov and click on ‘Recover and Rebuild.’
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, initiates mitigation activities and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA works closely with state and local emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 19-Jan-2007 13:09:18