Resolution No. 4814 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Risk is the potentiai for future damages, losses or casualties. A disaster event happens when a hazard event is combined with vulnerable inventory (that is when hazard event strikes vulnerable inventory exposed to the hazard). The highest risk in a community occurs in high hazard areas (frequent and/or severe hazard events) with large inventories of vulnerable buildings or infrastructure. However, high risk can also occur with only moderately high hazard, if there is a large inventory of highly vulnerable inventory exposed to the hazard. For example, seismic hazard is lower in Oregon than in the seismically active areas of California. However, for some buildings, seismic risk in Oregon may be comparable to or even higher than seismic risk in California, because some of the building inventory in Oregon is much more vulnerable to earthquake damages. Conversely, a high hazard area can have relatively Iow risk if the inventory is resistant to damages (e.g., elevated to protect against flooding or strengthened to minimize earthquake damages). i~tlTIGATION means actions to reduce the risk due to hazards. Mitigation actions reduce the potential for damages, losses, and casualties in future disaster events. Repair of buildings or infrastructure damaged in a disaster is not mitigation because repair simply restores a facility to its pre-disaster condition and does not reduce the potential for future damages, losses, or casualties. Hazard mitigation projects may be initiated proactively - before a disaster, or after a disaster has already occurred. In either case, the objective of mitigation is always is to reduce future damages, losses or casualties. A few of the most common types of mitigation projects are shown below in Table 1.5 Table 1.5 Common l~itigation Projects Hazard Mitigation Project Flood Build or ~mprove levees or flood walls Improve channels for flood control Improve drainage systems and culvert capacities Create detenbon ponds for storage Relocate, elevate or floodproof flood-prone structures Acquire and demolish h~ghly flood-prone structures Winter Storms Add emergency generators for critical facihbes Improve redundancy of utility systems Trim trees to reduce failures of utility lines Earthquakes Upgrade seismic performance of buildings Upgrade seismic performance of ~nfrastructure Landslides Remediate shde conditions Relocate ublity hnes or structures Wildland/Urban Interface Fires Increase fire safe construction practices Vegetation (fuel Icad) control General Enhance emergency planmng and mutual aid Expand pubhc education programs Public Review Draft August 6, 2004 1-6