Mitigation is an effective way to reduce the adverse impacts of a hazard and improve the community’s disaster resilience. To kick off 2015, Nassau County Emergency Management (NCEM) is leading a Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Task Force to draft a five-year plan endorsing cost-effective projects that will reduce overall risk in the community, as well as the need for emergency public assistance in the event of a disaster. The LMS Task Force is made up of subject-matter experts from county and municipal government, public works agencies, public safety and first response agencies, transportation, roads and bridges departments, environmental specialists and corporate stakeholders. These individuals are beginning the process by reviewing NCEM’s new Threat & Hazard Incidence Risk Analysis (THIRA) which classifies each threat by both likelihood of occurrence and damage potential in Nassau County.
The LMS Task Force then identifies and ranks projects needed to lessen our vulnerabilities within the next five years. NCEM encourages public-private partnerships to execute these activities and facilitates applications for funding support as grant opportunities become available. Improved drainage systems and retention ponds to reduce recurrent neighborhood flooding, remodeling or construction to harden structures to withstand high winds, and whole-building generators to increase emergency shelter capacity are all potential projects with broad public benefits, but only those reviewed and approved by the Task Force can be considered for funding and implementation.
The LMS Task Force is striving to make improvements critical to Nassau County’s disaster resilience. The actions taken beforehand to minimize damage caused by natural and man-made threats will provide a huge return on investment through lives saved, injuries prevented, reduced costs for structure repairs, and faster return to “business as usual” for everyone post-disaster. Many of the mitigation initiatives can also improve Nassau County’s scoring in the Community Rating System (CRS), which recognizes floodplain management activities that exceed national requirements, and would result in reduced flood insurance premiums for local homeowners. NCEM and the LMS Task Force are working for all residents of Nassau County before, during, and after emergencies. Volunteer to get involved in emergency preparedness – follow us on Twitter @NassauEM, Google+ Nassau EM, and Facebook www.facebook.com/NassauEM.
-Martha Wagaman
Emergency Management
The LMS Task Force then identifies and ranks projects needed to lessen our vulnerabilities within the next five years. NCEM encourages public-private partnerships to execute these activities and facilitates applications for funding support as grant opportunities become available. Improved drainage systems and retention ponds to reduce recurrent neighborhood flooding, remodeling or construction to harden structures to withstand high winds, and whole-building generators to increase emergency shelter capacity are all potential projects with broad public benefits, but only those reviewed and approved by the Task Force can be considered for funding and implementation.
The LMS Task Force is striving to make improvements critical to Nassau County’s disaster resilience. The actions taken beforehand to minimize damage caused by natural and man-made threats will provide a huge return on investment through lives saved, injuries prevented, reduced costs for structure repairs, and faster return to “business as usual” for everyone post-disaster. Many of the mitigation initiatives can also improve Nassau County’s scoring in the Community Rating System (CRS), which recognizes floodplain management activities that exceed national requirements, and would result in reduced flood insurance premiums for local homeowners. NCEM and the LMS Task Force are working for all residents of Nassau County before, during, and after emergencies. Volunteer to get involved in emergency preparedness – follow us on Twitter @NassauEM, Google+ Nassau EM, and Facebook www.facebook.com/NassauEM.
-Martha Wagaman
Emergency Management
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