The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and the National Mitigation Investment Strategy

Kathy Smith, AICP, Planning and Safety Branch Chief shares her
views on the importance of�the 20th anniversary of the Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000. 

October 30 was the 20th anniversary of the Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000. With this law, Congress officially
recognized that one of the best ways to protect communities from
disaster is having a plan to make them safer and stronger. For
states, tribes, territories and local governments, these plans
became required to receive FEMA funding for mitigation projects
like buying properties, raising buildings or improving
drainage. As we mark this anniversary, we also celebrate other
milestones in the movement to build safer, more resilient
communities.

One of these is the National Mitigation Investment Strategy. In
2012, Hurricane Sandy revealed the need for more coordination on
how and where federal, state, tribal and local governments spend
money and resources to build more disaster-resilient communities.
In response, a working group of leaders across the federal
government developed the National Mitigation Investment
Strategy.

With an end goal of making the nation more resilient, the
Investment Strategy builds on the legacy of the Disaster Mitigation
Act. It lays out a collaborative, integrated approach that brings
all partners – federal, state, local, tribal and territorial –
 to the same table. It lines up and unites the efforts of the
various groups that are working to make the nation’s communities
safer. Mitigation becomes more effective and coordinated when
federal, state, tribal, and local governments and private and
nonprofit groups work together.

The Disaster Mitigation Act helped state, territorial, tribal,
and local governments proactively plan to reduce the damage from
natural disasters. The Investment Strategy works to make sure the
investments applied to those plans are having as much impact as
possible to make communities stronger. The Investment Strategy has
three goals:

• Show how mitigation investments reduce risk;
• Coordinate mitigation investments to reduce risk; and
• Make mitigation investment standard practice.

Like the Disaster Mitigation Act, the Investment Strategy aims
to lessen the impact of future disasters. Both seek to prevent
injury and loss of life, reduce suffering, decrease damage,
and protect communities. The activities they encourage are
similar:

• Strengthening infrastructure
• Collecting and sharing data (for example, flood maps)
• Dedicating funding
• Identifying areas of risks
• Sharing knowledge and advice

With the implementation of this vital hazard mitigation act over
the last 20 years, efforts like the National Mitigation Investment
Strategy prove that its legacy is alive and evolving. Mitigation
planning and its resulting actions, expanded to a coordinated
national effort, will lead to a more resilient future.

FEMA is celebrating the anniversary and legacy of the Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000 throughout October and November. For more
information about the law, visit fema.gov/disasters/authorities.

In addition, the 2020 Fiscal Year funding cycle for the
Hazard Mitigation non-disaster grants is accepting applications
until Jan. 29, 2021.  As a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan is
required for funding, review the eligible projects for funding for
a Flood
Mitigation Assistance and the new pre-disaster mitigation
program
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities.