Mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects.

For mitigation to be effective we need to act now-before the next disaster-to reduce human and financial consequences later (analyzing risk, reducing risk, and insuring against risk).

It is important to know that disasters can happen at any time and any place and if we are not prepared, consequences can be fatal.

Effective mitigation requires that we all understand local risks, address the hard choices, and invest in long-term community well-being. Without mitigation actions, we jeopardize our safety, financial security and self-reliance.