SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
1 Introduction
Section 1 provides a general introduction to hazard mitigation and an introduction to the Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This section contains the following subsections:
1.1 Background
1.2 Purpose and Authority
1.3 Scope
1.4 References
1.5 Plan Organization
1.1
BACKGROUND
This document comprises a Hazard Mitigation Plan for Wake County, North Carolina and its incorporated municipalities. Each year in the United States, natural and human-caused hazards take the lives of hundreds of people and injure thousands more. Nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually to help communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals recover from disasters. These monies only partially reflect the true cost of disasters because additional expenses incurred by insurance companies and non- governmental organizations are not reimbursed by tax dollars. Many natural hazards are predictable, and much of the damage caused by hazard events can be reduced or even eliminated. Hazards are a natural part of the environment that will inevitably continue to occur, but there is much we can do to minimize their impacts on our communities and prevent them from resulting in disasters. Every community faces different hazards, has different resources to draw upon in combating problems, and has different interests that influence the solutions to those problems. Because there are many ways to deal with hazards and many agencies that can help, there is no one solution for managing or mitigating their effects. Planning is one of the best ways to develop a customized program that will mitigate the impacts of hazards while accounting for the unique character of a community. A well-prepared hazard mitigation plan will ensure that all possible activities are reviewed and implemented so that the problem is addressed by the most appropriate and efficient solutions. It can also ensure that activities are coordinated with each other and with other goals and activities, preventing conflicts and reducing the costs of implementing each individual activity. This plan provides a framework for all interested parties to work together toward mitigation. It establishes the vision and guiding principles for reducing hazard risk and proposes specific mitigation actions to eliminate or reduce identified vulnerabilities. In an effort to reduce the nation's mounting natural disaster losses, the U.S. Congress passed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) to invoke new and revitalized approaches to mitigation planning. Section 322 of DMA 2000 emphasizes the need for state and local government entities to closely coordinate on mitigation planning activities and makes the development of a hazard mitigation plan a specific eligibility requirement for any local government applying for federal mitigation grant funds. These funds include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program, and the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program, all of which are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Department of Homeland Security. Communities with an adopted and federally approved hazard mitigation plan thereby become pre-positioned and more apt to receive available mitigation funds before and after the next disaster strikes.
Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019
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