Table of Contents
Once a community has identified hazards and prepared a risk assessment, planners and officials can begin evaluating their current lineup of planning tools and strategies for mitigating such hazards and risk. New or updated tools should be considered, in particular those discussed earlier in this guide in Planning Tools and Strategies. It is important to identify any gaps in mitigation solutions, develop a clear purpose for seeking new tools or strategies, and then consider the merits of proposed solutions. Communities should ask the following questions prior to moving forward with new planning tools and strategies:
- What hazards are we trying to mitigate? Does the tool or strategy under consideration adequately mitigate the potential hazard and/or reduce risk?
- Do we have necessary policies in place to provide community direction? Has the community provided clear direction that the problem being mitigated is a priority, or that a particular strategy should be pursued?
- Do we have the required capacity to accomplish this task? What will it take to complete the job? Do we have the technical, administrative, and financial resources required to make this tool or strategy effective?
- Do we have buy-in? Have we educated leadership and the public about the value of particular tools in order to build support? What is the likelihood of a particular tool or strategy getting through the adoption process? Are there other tools that could accomplish similar goals that are more desirable?
- Could we accomplish multiple community goals with this tool or strategy? Does this particular tool or strategy help advance the community in ways beyond hazard mitigation? Does the tool mitigate multiple hazards or risks? What are the environmental and economic benefits and costs? Are there any social equity concerns?
Additional considerations are discussed earlier in Considering Community Context.