Dong Keun (D.K.) Yoon, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and emergency management, presented a paper at the 50th anniversary conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning on Oct.1 in Crystal City, Va. The paper was titled “Examining Factors That Contribute to Hazard Mitigation Plan Preparedness.”
Yoon examined the adoption rate of the multi-hazard mitigation plan in the U.S. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires state, local and tribal governments to have an approved local hazard mitigation plan in place to be eligible for participation in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program project funds. “Even with this requirement in place, many local governments in the U.S. have yet to adopt a Federal Emergency Management Agency-approved multi-hazard mitigation plan,” he said.
The paper revealed that only 44.3 percent of local governments in the U.S. were served by local FEMA-approved multi-hazard mitigation plans as of July 2009. Yoon examined factors that contribute to the adoption of hazard mitigation plans in the U.S.; and specifically, to investigate the role of human, financial and political capacity in relation to local governments’ level of hazard mitigation plan. Yoon found that disaster experiences, manpower and financial resources were significant motivational factors in preparing hazard mitigation plans. Governments with more financial capacity, more emergency management specialists and prior hazard experiences are more likely to prepare hazard mitigation plans.