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Start with What’s Available – Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
When resources are limited, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Planners and others involved in preparing the risk assessment should first locate relevant local sources that already address local hazards, such as Hazard Mitigation Plans, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, Floodplain Management Plans, and Emergency Operations Plans. Collect and review what is readily available prior to conducting new analysis and content.
As described in detail in an earlier chapter, the first step in preparing for hazards is to conduct a local risk assessment. Most Colorado communities follow the guidelines issued by FEMA and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The four recommended steps for preparing a risk assessment are:
- Describe hazards. Identify hazards that may affect the community, and then describe the type, location, extent, previous occurrences, and probability of future events.
- Identify community assets. Identify the community’s assets at risk to hazards. Assets may be categorized generally as people, economy, built environment, and natural environment.
- Analyze risks. Evaluate vulnerable assets, describing potential impacts and estimating losses for each hazard through exposure analysis, historical analysis, and/or scenario analysis.
- Summarize vulnerability. Document and summarize the community’s most significant hazard risks and vulnerabilities in order to inform the mitigation strategy.