mitigation measures (FEMA 1998, Godschalk e.a. 1999). Project Impact is a good example of
encouraging local communities to undertake mitigation activities. Communities are not forced
to make plans they do not truly support (as can be the case with the plans made under the
Hazard Mitigation Act) and the $1 million is a strong incentive to undertake action.
3.2 State government
The task of state governments in natural hazard issues is to share the costs of disaster recovery
and to regulate mitigation efforts. Within the framework of this paper, the last task is the most
relevant one (Palm & Carroll 1998). State governments are obliged to draft a state multi-hazard
mitigation plan in which they describe their policies for hazard mitigation. The mitigation itself
takes place at the local level (FEMA 1997). States can establish mandates to regulate local
mitigation efforts. The next chapter will explore the quality of natural hazard mitigation plans
in Southern California. Therefore, some of the California state programs and mandates and
their characteristics will now be explained.
The State of California Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan described has four goals (OES 2004):
• To save lives and reduce injuries,
• To avoid damages to property,
• To protect the environment, and
• To promote hazard mitigation as an integrated policy.
These four goals are accompanied by numerous objectives. Most of these are clearly influenced
by FEMA policies, for example (OES 2004):
• “Improve the understanding of the location and potential impacts of natural hazards, the
vulnerability of building types, and community development patterns”
• “Increase understanding of the importance of mitigation”
• “Provide state and local agencies with updated information about hazards,
vulnerabilities, and mitigation measures”
• “Ensure that all communities in the state are covered by a local hazard mitigation plan”
• “Ensure that all structures meet minimum standards for safety”
• “Discourage development in high risk areas”
• “Reduce or eliminate all repetitive property losses due to flood, fire and earthquake”
• “Establish a partnership among all levels of government and the business community to
improve and implement methods to protect property”
• “Develop and distribute to state and local agencies maps of high-risk areas”
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