Mitigation success stories in the United States.

Cover title

Includes bibliographical references

One of the primary goals of local, state and federal floodplain managers and emergency managers is to reduce or eliminate the effects of natural hazards such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, wildfires, etc. on communities, nationwide. Efforts to achieve and implement mitigation techniques, approaches and successes have been actively underway in the United States for over two decades. Great strides have been made, lives saved, and property damage avoided by numerous communities across the U.S. More often than not, these achievements have been made following devastating disasters, when affected local officials and the general public realize the need to effect change in their communities. Change through mitigation means breaking the disaster/rebuild/disaster cycle. The purpose of this document is 1) to showcase examples of natural hazard mitigation activities, and 2) to publicize the benefits of mitigation successes across the country. Hopefully, these examples can serve as models for others to use and can provide decision-makers with valuable information about how to formulate, undertake and ultimately achieve natural hazard reduction in the community