This week’s dazzling edition covers a somewhat lesser known aspect of planning: natural hazard mitigation.
So what is a natural hazard? A natural hazard is a potential danger that occurs naturally. Things that do not qualify as natural hazards are a) the hole in your deck or b) having your in-laws to dinner. Think of naturally occurring events like floods, landslides, earthquakes, and even volcanoes. Sure, Sweet Home residents may not have to worry about the direct effects of a tsunami. But it is a good idea for the community to identify exactly which natural hazards may threaten Sweet Home and figure out whether or not the community is equipped to respond to a disaster.
While Emergency response is one part of protecting the community from the consequences of disasters, planning for natural hazards can help a community prevent some of the serious effects of disasters like floods, landslides, and earthquakes. One way for a community to plan for natural hazards (other than buying lots of duct tape) is to develop a mitigation plan. (Of course it wouldn’t be planning without fancy lingo.) Mitigation refers to the process of lessening the effects of a natural disaster. A community can create a mitigation plan that documents the community’s vulnerabilities and generates a list of actions that will reduce the risk of a natural disaster from hurting people or damaging property.
For instance, communities can take a number of steps to alleviate the potential dangers of a geologic hazard like landslides. A City can identify the places where landslides are most likely to happen and either 1) protect existing development in those areas; or 2) limit activities in those areas. It seems simple. But balancing community goals and natural hazard mitigation takes hard work and coordination between emergency personnel, planners, technical experts, and even lawyers. Next time, City Link will discuss the measures Sweet Home is taking to mitigate natural hazards.