Local Mitigation Planning Initiative

Georgia’s unique geographic location exposes the state and its citizens to severe weather at any time of the year. Georgia is one of the few places where regional weather conditions may include snow and ice accumulations along with lightning and tornadoes from the same storm event. The State of Georgia has averaged a federal disaster declaration about once a year in the last fifteen years. How can we protect and prepare ourselves for the next natural disaster to strike Georgia? One answer is Mitigation Planning.

The United States Congress, in 2000, adopted the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K), allowing Federal funding to be allocated to hazard mitigation plans and projects before the disaster happens. State and local Governments are now required by Congress, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to develop DMA2K compliant plans in order to be eligible for Federal hazard mitigation project funding. DMA2K authorized the Pre Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program to provide funding to be used to assist in the development of these federally required plans.

In Fiscal Year 2002, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) initiated a pilot program with over $900,000 in Federal funding to assist 33 counties to develop their local Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation plans. During the local planning process, county and municipal officials held several meetings with the assistance of GEMA staff. In these meetings, the officials identified hazards having a significant impact in the area and identified critical facilities that are vulnerable to those damages. They then developed goals and objectives that would serve to reduce or eliminate the threat of damages resulting from the identified hazards.

The State of Georgia has been awarded PDM and HMGP funding for all remaining counties to complete their PDM plans, thus bringing the total number of counties to receive federal funding to 159 counties. Click here to view the Georgia Local Mitigation Plan Status Map.

The GEMA Hazard Mitigation Division has also developed a GIS database with a high level of statewide data on natural hazards. The cities and counties are able to utilize and incorporate this data for their local Hazard Mitigation planning and other purposes as needed.

Through the completion of the local planning process between county and municipalities which has been coordinated by the GEMA Hazard Mitigation Division staff, Georgia citizens will maintain eligibility for future disaster assistance for our next catastrophic disaster event.