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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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February
2006
Volume
10 - Number 1 |
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Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves Lives: An Independent Study to Assess the Future Savings from Mitigation Activities By Meg Prior One dollar spent on mitigation activities in the United States saves society an average of four dollars in future benefits, according to the new study published by the Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) of the National Institute of Building Sciences. The Congressionally mandated study, which examined the effectiveness of federal funding for mitigation projects nationwide, shows that money spent on reducing the risk of natural hazards is a sound investment. In fact, FEMA-funded grants to mitigate the effects of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes between 1993 and 2003 are expected to save more than 220 lives and prevent almost 4,700 injuries over 50 years. Furthermore, mitigation efforts reduce the amount of federal funds spent on disaster response and recovery and avoid decreases in post-disaster tax revenue. The study was designed to quantify the future savings from hazard mitigation activities, defining benefits as losses to society that were avoided. Although funding was provided by FEMA, the study was conducted by more than 50 national experts independently of the agency. Two types of mitigation activities were addressed; “project mitigations” which include physical measures to avoid or reduce damage from disasters – such as elevating or relocating structures threatened by flood and strengthening structures to resist earthquakes and high winds; and “process” mitigation, which include activities that lead to policies, practices, and projects that reduce risk and loss, including educating decision-makers and fostering improvements in building codes. Experts based their conclusion that mitigation projects do indeed save more money than they cost on a cost-benefit analysis of two main components, empirical research on projects conducted at the community level and statistical data from representative nationwide projects. Analysis indicates that FEMA mitigation grants are cost-effective - often leading to additional non-federally funded mitigation projects, and have the greatest benefits in communities that have institutionalized hazard mitigation programs. Interviewees reported that the grants were important in reducing community risks, preventing future damage, and increasing a community’s capacity to reduce loss from natural hazards, adding their belief that the grants permitted their communities to attain mitigation goals that may otherwise have fallen by the wayside. Most interviewees felt that the benefits of the grants went beyond that which could be quantitatively measured, including increased community awareness, peace of mind, and a feeling of camaraderie. The MMC’s findings conclude that mitigation is sufficiently cost-effective to warrant federal funding on an ongoing basis both before and during post-disaster recovery because the nation will always be vulnerable to natural hazards. Recommendations stress that mitigation efforts are most effective when carried out on a comprehensive, community-wide, long-term basis and highlight the need for a more systematic data collection system to capitalize on lessons learned. For more information and the full-text study visit the Multihazard Mitigation Council’s website at; http://www.nibs.org/MMC/mmcactiv5.html |