Mitigation’s Value to Society

1. Mitigation creates safer communities by reducing losses of life and property.

2. Mitigation enables individuals and communities to recover more rapidly from disasters.

3. Mitigation lessens the financial impact of disasters on individuals, the Treasury, state, local and tribal communities.

   Branches

   The Mitigation Division is comprised of three branches: Risk Analysis, Risk Reduction and Risk Insurance.

   The primary functions of these branches includes:

   • The Risk Analysis Branch applies engineering and planning practices in conjunction with advanced technology tools to identify hazards, assess vulnerabilities, and develop strategies to manage the risks associated with natural hazards.
   • The Risk Reduction Branch works to reduce risk to life and property through the use of land use controls, building practices and other tools. These activities address risk in both the existing built environment and in future development, and they occur in both pre- and post-disaster environments.
   • The Risk Insurance Branch helps reduce flood losses by providing affordable flood insurance for property owners and by encouraging communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations that mitigate the effects of flooding on new and improved structures.