

Allegany County, MD
Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
WHAT IS HAZARD MITIGATION?
"Hazard mitigation" is any sustainable action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from future disasters. Mitigation planning breaks the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. Hazard mitigation includes long-term solutions that reduce the impact of disasters in the future.
THE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
The purpose of the Hazard Mitigation Plan is to prevent or reduce loss of life and injury as well as limit damage costs from various hazards through the development of mitigation methods which lessen or eliminate future damage. This is accomplished by reviewing and assessing Allegany County's vulnerabilities to natural hazards. The result of the assessment will be short-term and long-term strategies that address hazards identified in the plan. These strategies are an effort to prevent future damage to and loss of life of residents in Allegany County and its municipalities.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires hazard mitigation plans to be updated every five years. This is an update to the previous 2018 Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Allegany County Department of Emergency Services is the lead agency for this plan update.