Post-Disaster and Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Assistance (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Dec. 2, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF12833 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Diane P. Horn |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
With the increasing severity and frequency of natural
disasters, policymakers often view mitigation funding as a
way to control disaster-related spending. The impacts of
natural hazards are expected to increase during the useful
lifetime of much existing and new U.S. property and
infrastructure, placing an increasing burden on federal,
state, and local governments, as well as individuals and
businesses. In the United States, as in many countries, this
increasing risk can be attributed to a combination of factors:
rapid expansion of population into areas that are susceptible
to natural disasters, rising property values in hazardous
areas, inadequate building codes, and climatological and
environmental changes. These risks are exacerbated as
population increases in hazardous locations, with about
60.5 million housing units located in areas under at least a
moderate threat of annual losses from natural disasters.
The majority of funding in the United States for hazard
mitigation comes from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), which defines mitigation as “any
sustained action to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to
people and property from natural hazards and their effects.”
The value of federal mitigation funding is illustrated by a
2019 study which looked at the impacts of 23 years of
federal mitigation grants and found that for every $1
invested by federal grant programs, society as a whole is
expected to save $6 due to reduced future losses.
