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Ramsey County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2018 <br /> <br />Page | 9 <br /> <br />Section 1 – Introduction <br />1.1 Introduction <br />Hazard mitigation is defined as any sustained action to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life <br />and property from hazards. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made reducing <br />hazards one of its primary goals; hazard mitigation planning and the subsequent implementation of <br />resulting projects, measures and policies is a primary mechanism in achieving FEMA’s goal. <br />Between 1960 and 2014, natural hazards cost the U.S. an annual average loss of $15.6 billion (Hazards & <br />Vulnerability Research Institute, 2015). <br />Hazard mitigation planning and preparedness will be the most effective instrument to diminish losses by <br />reducing the impact of disasters upon people and property. Although mitigation efforts will not eliminate <br />all disasters, each county shall endeavor to be as prepared as possible for a disaster. <br />The Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) is a requirement of the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of <br />2000 (DMA 2000). The development of a local government plan is required to maintain eligibility for <br />federal hazard mitigation grant funding programs. For communities to be eligible for future mitigation <br />funds, they must adopt an MHMP. This plan update has been prepared as a result of Pre-Disaster <br />Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program funds. These funds are disbursed by the Federal Emergency <br />Management Agency (FEMA) through Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management <br />(HSEM). <br />Researchers at the National Institute of Building Sciences looked at the results of 23 years of federally <br />funded mitigation grants provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. <br />Economic Development Administration (EDA) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban <br />Development (HUD) and found mitigation funding can save the nation $6 in future disaster costs, for <br />every $1 spent on hazard mitigation (National Institute of Building Sciences, 2017). <br />Ramsey County is vulnerable to a variety of potential natural disasters, which threaten the loss of life <br />and property in the county. Hazards such as tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, blizzards, straight-line winds, <br />ice storms and droughts have the potential for inflicting vast economic loss and personal hardship. In <br />2013, Minnesota had some of the highest weather-related disaster claims in the country (MN <br />Environmental Quality Board, 2014). <br />This Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan represents the efforts of Ramsey County and its local governments to <br />fulfill the responsibility for hazard mitigation planning. The intent of the plan is to reduce the actual <br />threat of specific hazards by limiting the impact of damages and losses. <br />1.1.1 Scope <br />Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the University of Minnesota <br />Duluth Geospatial Analysis Center (GAC) have combined efforts to update the 2012 Ramsey County <br />Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. The GAC contracted with Hundrieser Consulting LLC for additional <br />emergency management planning expertise and facilitation.