The role of natural hazard mitigation plans in an age of pandemics

Abstract

With the onset of a pandemic, community planners need to be ready to assist communities to survive and thrive under current and future conditions. Every state and jurisdiction need a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan. This research explores the role of natural hazard mitigation planning before, during, and after the onset of a pandemic. A review of the 50 State Hazard Mitigation Plans (SHMPs) found 27 states identified pandemics as a hazard, but only four included mitigation actions, and none were sufficiently prepared for COVID-19. Advances in web-based tools offer the opportunity to combine the urgent need for mitigation planning strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic with a way forward for community planners as they prepare for future natural hazard events.