Tag

disaster mitigation

Browsing

By Dr. Marisa Bryant
Faculty Member, School of Security and Global Studies, American Military University

In 2005, the Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) of the National Institute of Building Sciences released a report commissioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Brent Woodworth, chairman of the committee that produced the MMC report, has some valuable insights on the financial value of disaster mitigation.

He found that mitigation grants had positive effects. For example, society saves an average of $4 on average for every dollar spent on mitigation. In addition, mitigation also causes a shift in human behaviors, such as “increased community awareness, esprit de corps, and peace of mind.”

At the end of the day, disaster mitigation efforts are evaluated for their speed, effectiveness and cost. Ultimately, recovery and response efforts tell us how resilient we really are.

Hurricane Andrew: The Lack of Proactive Mitigation Contributed to the Disaster

When Hurricane Andrew hit in August 1992, I was a girl living in South Miami. Hurricane Andrew destroyed over 63,000 homes and damaged over 100,000.

Unfortunately, Florida’s building codes prior to Hurricane Andrew were subpar at best. Mobile home parks ceased to exist after Hurricane Andrew. Today, homes have to be fastened far more securely than they were in 1992.

As the result of Hurricane Andrew, Florida now has extremely stringent building codes, compared to the other states around the country. For example, plywood has to be used on roofs as opposed to substituting other types of boards.

In a review after the hurricane, government officials noted that commercial buildings and homes were poorly constructed. In fact, criminal investigations were launched into the construction practices of many of the builders in Country Walk.

In the Past, FEMA Has Spent More Money on Recovery and Less on Mitigation

Between 1988 and 2001, FEMA spent more of its budget on recovery and far less on mitigation. According to University of New Mexico professor Philip T. Ganderton, FEMA “spent about $28 billion on recovery” efforts but only “10% of that (about $2.6 billion) on mitigation” efforts during that same period.

Mitigation Provides Protection and Peace of Mind

The value of hazard and disaster mitigation cannot be overstated. When people participate in mitigation activities, that work protects both property and life.

Start an Emergency & Disaster Management degree at American Military University.

Many of us do this kind of mitigation work every day. For example, my husband and I purchased life insurance to protect those we are leaving behind and ensure they are not unduly burdened by our death.

When we bought life insurance, we considered what our children would have to pay after our death, such as a mortgage payment, car payment and other expenses. We do not want our children to worry about those costs, so we pay $33 a month on our life insurance to ensure that our children will not have to pay $750,000 on our death. For us, it was important to anticipate future events.

Ultimately, the economic losses from natural disasters and emergencies are not going to subside any time soon. Coupled with population growth and the unpredictability of climate change, the number of disasters will continue to rise.

However, governments all around the world can develop mitigation efforts, including the construction of buildings that can withstand certain disasters. In turn, many of these mitigation tactics will generate economic returns.

About the Author

Dr. Marisa Bryant is a lifelong learner and educator who has taught in the military and the civilian sectors for over 20 years. Upon retirement from the Marine Corps in 2015, she was hired as the Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist and Disability Program Manager for the Marine Corps Installations Pacific at Okinawa, Japan.

Dr. Bryant is an adjunct professor at American Military University in the School of Security and Global Studies, where she teaches courses in homeland security. She also serves as Adjunct Faculty at Ashford University, Colorado State University-Global Campus, Upper Iowa University, Claremont Lincoln University, and Walden University, teaching courses in homeland security, emergency management, criminal justice, public administration, and human resource management. Her research interests include studying harassment policies, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, disability rights, and civil liberties and civil rights as they relate to homeland security.