#disastermitigationact — Public Fediverse posts

Which States Have The Strongest Statutory Frameworks For Hazard Mitigation Planning?
--
https://www.planning.org/blog/9336566/which-states-have-the-strongest-statutory-frameworks-for-hazard-mitigation/ <-- shared technical/editorial article
--
https://www.planning.org/research/2026-survey-of-state-planning-laws/ <-- shared story map [look for scroll icon in lower right above footer]
--
https://planningforhazards.colorado.gov/hazard-mitigation-plan <-- shared State of Colorado technical/planning/summary article
--
https://www.marc.org/safety-security/emergency-services-plans/hazard-mitigation-plan <-- shared MARC technical/planning/summary article
--
“SUMMARY
• [Most States Have a Lot of Room for Improvement]
• Only eight states have dedicated hazard mitigation or disaster resilience offices, and even fewer have statutes that promote state, local, and intralocal alignment on hazard mitigation planning.
• [6 States Have Statutes Requiring State-Local Alignment on Hazard Mitigation Planning Goals]
• [8 States Have Statutes Addressing Plan Integration for Hazard Mitigation]
• [Few states have a statutory framework that will let them easily take greater responsibility for overseeing hazard mitigation planning if FEMA pulls back.]
• Planners can enhance community resilience by exceeding federal hazard mitigation minimums, working to integrate hazard mitigation into local comprehensive plans, and embracing exploratory scenario planning.
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 [https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/house-bill/707] required all state and local jurisdictions to prepare and periodically update hazard mitigation plans to maintain eligibility for federal mitigation grants. Since then, state and local hazard mitigation planning has largely followed a process standardized through federal regulations and FEMA's official policy guides.
Thanks to these federal requirements, hazard mitigation is now a widely recognized functional area of planning. But are planners leading local mitigation planning efforts? Is hazard mitigation well integrated with core comprehensive or land use planning functions? Are federal requirements ensuring high-quality plans across the board? And which states are best prepared to step up if FEMA takes a step back from hazard mitigation planning?
Earlier this year, APA researchers compiled information on the statutory frameworks for land use, hazard mitigation, and climate action planning across all 50 states. [Their] analysis indicates that most states seem content to let federal agencies set the bar for state and local hazard mitigation planning. And the onus remains on planners and local officials to fill any gaps.
We don't know when or how the federal role in hazard mitigation planning will change. But planners don't have to wait for a "new normal" to act…”
#USA #state #federal #risk #hazard #naturalhazard #disaster #statutoryframeworks #hazardmitigation #planning #regulations #FEMA #statelaw #publicsafety #stateplanning #policy #disasterresilience #nonaturaldisasters #response #mitigation #emergencyresponse #DisasterMitigationAct #humanimpactsinfrastructure #damage #loss #cost #economics #planners #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal
@American Planning Association