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This page provides information about Region I Risk Analysis activities and responsibilities. The Risk Analysis Branch applies engineering, planning, and advanced technology to determine the potential impact of natural disasters and to develop strategies to manage the risks associated with these hazards.
The Risk Analysis Branch works toward identifying the scope of all natural hazards affecting New England and assessing the risks associated with those hazards.
Risk Analysis includes assessing critical information both before and after a disaster strikes, developing and maintaining a state-of-the art inventory of flood maps, and supporting mitigation planning.
Program areas administered by the Risk Analysis Division in Region I:
Flood Hazard Mapping
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) are the tool the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses to determine the flood risk that home and business owners face. They are the official maps of a community on which FEMA has delineated both the special hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) seeks to mitigate earthquake losses in the United States through both basic and directed research and implementation activities in the fields of earthquake science and engineering.
National Hurricane Program
The National Hurricane Program (NHP) helps protect communities and residents from hurricane hazards through various projects and activities. Established in 1985, the NHP also conducts assessments and provides tools and technical assistance to State and local agencies in developing hurricane evacuation plans.
National Dam Safety Program
For more than 25 years, the Federal Government has been working to protect Americans from dam failure through the National Dam Safety Program (NDSP). The NDSP, which is led by FEMA, is a partnership of the states, federal agencies, and other stakeholders to encourage individual and community responsibility for dam safety.
HAZUS-MH
HAZUS-MH is a powerful risk assessment software program for analyzing potential losses from floods, hurricane winds and earthquakes. In HAZUS-MH, current scientific and engineering knowledge is coupled with the latest geographic information systems (GIS) technology to produce estimates of hazard-related damage before, or after, a disaster occurs.
Hazard Mitigation Planning
Mitigation planning is a process for States and communities to identify policies, activities and tools to implement mitigation actions. Mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from a hazard event.