National trends and future directions in hazard mitigation policy : the elements of a new paradigm.

"This working paper is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CMS-9408322, "Assessing planning and implementation of hazard mitigation under the Stafford Act." Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this working paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation"

Bibliography: p. 89-97

Introduction -- Unprecedented damage levels : disturbing trends and projections -- The history and evolution of mitigation and disaster assistance policy -- Critically assessing the current framework -- Recent legislative and policy development activity -- Major trends in mitigation policy : common themes in the debate -- Conclusion : the elements of a new paradigm

This is an unprecedented time in the evolution of natural hazard mitigation in the U.S. The 1990s have seen a series of devastating and costly natural disasters, with much of this cost absorbed at the federal level. There is growing consensus that the current approach to natural disasters is not working, and that fundamentally new approaches are necessary. An unusual number of studies, reports and legislatvice initiatives mark this period as well, as an increasing number of people and organizations focus their sights on what is broken with the current system, and how it might be fixed. This working paper summarizes these studies, critical literature, and new legislative and executive initiatives that have emerged