Douglas County Emergency Management

Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Douglas county Hazard Mitigation Plan has recently undergone an update by Douglas county Emergency Management and other local, state and federal agencies. Under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 93-288), as amended by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, local governments are required to develop a hazard mitigation plan as a condition for receiving certain types of emergency and non-emergency disaster assistance, including funding for mitigation projects and emergency response. Hazard Mitigation Plans must be updated every five years, hence the reason for the current update effort.

Hazard mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. Mitigation activities may be implemented prior to, during, or after an incident. Hazard mitigation is most effective when based on an inclusive, comprehensive, long-term plan that is developed before a disaster occurs. It is important to understand how much of the community can be affected by specific hazards and what the impacts would be on important community assets. The top five hazards identified in the Douglas county Plan include flooding, earthquakes, wildland fires, drought and severe weather events.