In 2023, SCIPP collaborated with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management on the 2-page resource Why Hazard Mitigation Matters to Your Community. This resulted from previous SCIPP research that identified challenges decision-makers face when implementing hazard mitigation planning and action, including the need to promote its importance. This document described the benefits of local hazard mitigation plans and why they matter to communities, including: a description of what hazard mitigation is and the hazards Oklahoma faces, costs of weather and climate events in Oklahoma, the benefits of hazard mitigation plans, examples of projects communities can implement with funding from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, cost savings from mitigation actions, and hazard mitigation success stories in Oklahoma.
Darrian Bertrand, SCIPP’s Climate Assessment Specialist, recently collaborated with Chris Rippetoe at the LSU Stephenson Disaster Management Institute on the Louisiana version of this resource. This document built off of the Oklahoma version with Louisiana-specific information and success stories. As the need to promote hazard mitigation continues across our region, the goal of this resource is to be a communication tool for those in the hazard planning space to achieve buy-in from elected officials, the public, and other decision-makers by showing the value of hazard mitigation. A version for Arkansas and Texas will be completed in the future.