Disaster Prevention & Mitigation

There are five phases of emergency management including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Both prevention and mitigation efforts aim to reduce the potential damage and suffering that disasters can cause.

The prevention phase focuses on disasters and emergencies that can be prevented by changing or regulating human behavior. In other words, we work to ensure people’s actions don’t cause disasters. Not all disasters can be prevented like weather emergencies, but there are steps that everyone can take to help prevent other types of disasters such as fires or car accidents. Individuals, communities, and businesses can help prevent some disasters with the following tips:

Individuals

Communities

Businesses

For emergencies that aren’t preventable like natural disasters and weather emergencies, the mitigation phase focuses on reducing the impacts of these hazards on life and property. For example, installing flood gauges and informing residents about how to prepare for floods can help minimize flood-related injuries, deaths, and damage to homes. Mitigation measures can also save individuals, communities, and businesses a lot of money as they reduce the amount of damage and therefore the cost of repairs after disasters.

Anne Arundel County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan creates a long-term strategy to reduce the costs and damages caused by disasters. The plan also establishes partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations, private organizations, and communities. This helps to create more resilient communities and reduce the costs of disaster response and recovery.

Individuals, communities, and businesses can help reduce the effects of some disasters with the following tips:

Individuals

Communities

Businesses