USA: FEMA to synchronize hazard mitigation plans, track mitigation projects

In a report, the inspector general (IG) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommended the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to engage in rulemaking to change the frequency of the updates for State Mitigation Plans in order to synchronize with the updates required from localities in the US. Writing for HSToday, Mickey McCarter highlights that the report also calls on FEMA to track mitigation actions that it identifies and recommends to localities as they are implemented so as to learn which plans are successful and how to best spend its non-emergency disaster mitigation funds.

"Mitigation activities may be implemented before, during, or after an incident," the IG report noted. "However, it has been demonstrated that hazard mitigation is most effective when based on an inclusive, long-term plan that is developed before a disaster occurs. Two recent cost-benefit analyses found that every $1 spent on mitigation saved society $3 to $4."