Mitigation

WHAT IS HAZARD MITIGATION?

Hazard mitigation is any sustainable action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from future disasters. The best way to do this is to create a thorough plan well in advance, before any disasters happen.

Phases of Emergency Management

Emergency management focuses on reducing or avoiding potential losses from hazards, assuring prompt and appropriate assistance from damages, and achieving rapid and effective recovery measures.

This process is divided into four phases: mitigation (preventing future damages and losses), preparedness (getting ready for a disaster before it happens), response (actions taken during and immediately after a disaster), and recovery (bouncing back after the disaster). Communities need to think about these steps to lessen the effects of disasters, respond effectively when they happen, and recover afterwards.

The mitigation phase is all about finding ways to prevent disasters or lessen their impact. It involves thinking of long-term solutions to help reduce the effects of disasters before they happen.

What is a Hazard Mitigation Plan?

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA) requires local governments to adopt a federally approved Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan in order to receive pre- and post-disaster mitigation funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

A Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) is a comprehensive strategy that assesses the risks and vulnerabilities associated with various hazards, such as droughts, earthquakes, extreme temperatures, flooding, and wildfires. It identifies actions and measures to reduce the impacts of these hazards, protect lives, buildings, infrastructure, and property, and strengthen abilities to recover from these types of events.

A HMP assists local governments with the following:

• Protection of Life and Property: By identifying and addressing potential hazards, a HMP helps local governments reduce the risk of injury, loss of life, and damage to property during disasters.


• Economic Stability: A HMP helps lessen the financial impact of disasters by reducing damage to infrastructure and speeding up recovery efforts, which allows for community continuity and economic resilience.


• Access to Funding: Having a HMP is a prerequisite for receiving FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) disaster assistance and grants, which can be vital both before and after disasters and recovery efforts.


• Enhanced Community Awareness and Preparedness: A HMP expands on public awareness of local hazards and encourages community involvement in mitigation efforts, leading to better preparedness and a more resilient community.

2025 Essex County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan

The 2025 Essex County HMP planning process was led by the Essex County Office of Emergency Management in partnership with a Steering Committee, Planning Partnership, stakeholders, and the general public.

• The Steering Committee guided the planning process and provided input as needed for the content of the plan. Members included county departments, several municipalities, and stakeholders.


• The Planning Partnership was a combined group of the Steering Committee and at least one representative from each municipality. Municipal representatives provided direct input to jurisdictional-specific sections (annexes) of the plan regarding capabilities, hazard event history, and project development.


• Stakeholders for the HMP included individuals or groups impacted by a mitigation action or policy. This includes businesses, private organizations, residents, neighboring communities, educational institutions, and healthcare providers. Stakeholders were engaged in the planning process, shared information, and contributed input on the plan's content.

The 2025 Essex County HMP identifies natural hazards that pose a risk to our community and identifies actions the County and municipalities can take to reduce the impacts from the hazards. The HMP guides the County and its planning partners to implement mitigation strategies throughout Essex County. By having the plan in place, Essex County and the participating municipalities remain eligible for FEMA HMA funding.

Final Plan

Essex County is pleased to announce that the 2025 Essex County HMP was approved by FEMA as of April 28, 2025. The HMP can be viewed at the top of this webpage under Additional.