New resource describes benefits of local hazard mitigation plans for communities

This portion of the resource highlights costs of Oklahoma weather events. Credit: NOAA

In 2022, the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program (SCIPP) completed the cross-RISA collaborative project, "Connecting Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Planning in Climate Discourse-Sensitive Regions", and learned the challenges that decision-makers face when implementing hazard mitigation and climate adaptation planning and action. For example, city and county officials and community members do not always understand what hazard mitigation is or why it benefits their community. There is also a misconception about how FEMA funding is obtained for a county or city, in which a hazard mitigation plan is a requirement when applying for certain FEMA funding. Unfortunately, many counties in Oklahoma do not have an active hazard mitigation plan.