Hazard mitigation plans (HMPs) play a critical role in the reduction of societal loss from natura... more Hazard mitigation plans (HMPs) play a critical role in the reduction of societal loss from natural and human-caused hazards and disasters. The occurrence of hazardous events cannot be prevented but hazard mitigation planning when diligently applied has proven to be an effective tool for enhancing local community resilience and reducing societal losses. HMPs are planning documents that aim to increase community preparedness and resiliency, and decrease vulnerability in the event of a hazard. However, due to a variety of reasons many communities often fail to address criteria that could protect against future societal losses. For instance, minimum requirements, as stipulated by the Disaster Mitigation Act 2000, are all that is needed to qualify for federal mitigation grant funding regardless of plan quality or appropriateness of HMPs to local hazards and risks. Additionally local emergency managers and planners also face constraints like integration of HMPs into comprehensive plans and a standardized tool to evaluate plan quality. In essence most communities in the US have HMPs but lack a method of evaluating the quality and effectiveness of their plans for mitigating hazards. Building on the standard HMP minimum requirements, additional criteria established in prominent hazard literature, and information culled from interviews, this study develops an evaluation matrix to assess local HMP quality. Based on the factors mentioned above, researchers explored the opportunities and constraints to HMP development faced by jurisdictions within our Western Washington study area. Conclusions reveal that available resources, level of sophistication, and political complexities affect the quality of HMP development and the actual implementation of mitigation planning strategies.
Natural hazards and disasters pose a serious threat to society. Efficient hazard plans are a coun... more Natural hazards and disasters pose a serious threat to society. Efficient hazard plans are a county's prerequisite in preparing for potential disasters and serve as primary tools to reduce community vulnerability and enhance resilience. Incorporation of structural and non-structural mitigation and recovery strategies are both important to reduce damages and for overall community development from a risk reduction perspective. However, typical pre-event planning and post-disaster recovery processes often have limited incorporation of important non-structural mitigation measures such as social capital into their overall planning. Previous studies have evaluated the quality of planning documents; however, a detailed evaluation of non-structural mitigation strategies such as social capital in existing planning documents is still lacking. This study evaluates the presence of social capital in hazards plans and aims to better understand, through stakeholder engagement, the role of social capital in disaster management and planning. Evaluation and coding results indicate that there is a limited incorporation of types of social capital such as social network, role of social organizations, shared narratives, and community participation for recovery and planning process.
Hazard mitigation plans (HMPs) play a critical role in the reduction of societal loss from natura... more Hazard mitigation plans (HMPs) play a critical role in the reduction of societal loss from natural and human-caused hazards and disasters. The occurrence of hazardous events cannot be prevented but hazard mitigation planning when diligently applied has proven to be an effective tool for enhancing local community resilience and reducing societal losses. HMPs are planning documents that aim to increase community preparedness and resiliency, and decrease vulnerability in the event of a hazard. However, due to a variety of reasons many communities often fail to address criteria that could protect against future societal losses. For instance, minimum requirements, as stipulated by the Disaster Mitigation Act 2000, are all that is needed to qualify for federal mitigation grant funding regardless of plan quality or appropriateness of HMPs to local hazards and risks. Additionally local emergency managers and planners also face constraints like integration of HMPs into comprehensive plans and a standardized tool to evaluate plan quality. In essence most communities in the US have HMPs but lack a method of evaluating the quality and effectiveness of their plans for mitigating hazards. Building on the standard HMP minimum requirements, additional criteria established in prominent hazard literature, and information culled from interviews, this study develops an evaluation matrix to assess local HMP quality. Based on the factors mentioned above, researchers explored the opportunities and constraints to HMP development faced by jurisdictions within our Western Washington study area. Conclusions reveal that available resources, level of sophistication, and political complexities affect the quality of HMP development and the actual implementation of mitigation planning strategies.
Natural hazards and disasters pose a serious threat to society. Efficient hazard plans are a coun... more Natural hazards and disasters pose a serious threat to society. Efficient hazard plans are a county's prerequisite in preparing for potential disasters and serve as primary tools to reduce community vulnerability and enhance resilience. Incorporation of structural and non-structural mitigation and recovery strategies are both important to reduce damages and for overall community development from a risk reduction perspective. However, typical pre-event planning and post-disaster recovery processes often have limited incorporation of important non-structural mitigation measures such as social capital into their overall planning. Previous studies have evaluated the quality of planning documents; however, a detailed evaluation of non-structural mitigation strategies such as social capital in existing planning documents is still lacking. This study evaluates the presence of social capital in hazards plans and aims to better understand, through stakeholder engagement, the role of social capital in disaster management and planning. Evaluation and coding results indicate that there is a limited incorporation of types of social capital such as social network, role of social organizations, shared narratives, and community participation for recovery and planning process.
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Papers by Dr. Aparna K.