2. MARCO TEORICO
2.3 La industria Automotriz y la contaminación
Mitigation refers to activities that are designed to:
Reduce or eliminate risks to persons or property, or
Lessen the actual or potential effects or consequences of an incident.
Prevention Preparedness Response Recovery Mitigation
Post-Incident
Post-Incident
Incident
Incident
Pre-Incident
Pre-Incident
Prevention Preparedness Response Recovery MitigationPost-Incident
Post-Incident
Incident
Incident
Pre-Incident
Pre-Incident
Mitigation measures: May be implemented prior to, during, or after an incident.
Are often developed in accordance with lessons learned from prior incidents.
Can include efforts to educate governments, businesses, and the public on measures that they can take to reduce loss and injury.
Mitigation is accomplished in conjunction with a hazard analysis (which will be covered in Unit 4). A hazard analysis helps to identify:
What events can occur in and around the community.
The likelihood that an event will occur.
Developing a Mitigation Strategy
A sound mitigation strategy is one that is based on several factors:
Prevention measures are intended to prevent existing risks from becoming worse based on new development or other changes within the community (e.g., road construction, zoning or building code changes). Prevention measures can be very effective in areas that have not been developed or are in an early phase of development. By implementing prevention
measures, such as open space preservation and storm water management, future development can be directed in such a way as to minimize the risk from known hazards while maintaining other community goals and the overall quality of life in the community.
Property protection measures are used to modify buildings or their
surroundings to reduce the risk of damage from a known hazard. Property protection measures directly protect people and property at risk and may be simple and relatively low cost (e.g., raising utilities or strapping water
heaters) or they may be more elaborate and expensive (e.g., acquiring land and using that land for recreational purposes or building earthquake-
resistant structures in earthquake zones).
Natural resource protection measures are used to reduce the consequences of a known hazard and to improve the overall quality of the environment. Natural resource protection measures can range from erosion and sediment control to wetlands protection to controlling runoff from farmland sediment into downstream waterways.
Emergency services measures protect people before and after an event occurs and may include:
Warning.
Response.
Protective measures for critical facilities.
Maintenance of health and safety.
To be effective, emergency protective measures should be built into the emergency planning process, exercised, and revised to incorporate lessons learned from both exercises and actual emergencies.
Developing a Mitigation Strategy (Continued)
Structural projects directly protect people and property that are at risk from a known hazard. Structural projects involve the construction of man-made structures (e.g., dikes, levees, elevated roadways) to control the damage from a known hazard. These projects can be very expensive, and over the long-term, may actually disrupt the environment in such a way as to
increase the overall risk from other hazards. Additionally, some structural mitigation measures may provide the public with a false sense of security, especially in the case of an extreme event, such as the Midwest floods, during which many levees were breached by the flood waters.
Public information serves to inform and remind people about the hazards they face and measures they should take to avoid damage or injury. Public information measures may include:
Outreach projects.
Real estate disclosure requirements.
Technical assistance.
Education programs.
The mitigation strategy developed must consider the hazards faced, the potential for damage from those hazards, and the overall needs of the
community. Mitigation measures must be consistent with the strategy but can be effective only if considered as part of the larger emergency management cycle.
Mitigation measures can be developed and implemented at the local or State level. Two examples of mitigation measures that have been cited for their effectiveness are included below.
Hazard Minimization Program: State of Massachusetts
The Hazard Minimization Program was instituted in November 1991, as a way to reduce repetitive losses from disasters. The program funds mitigation measures, such as basement window replacement and installation of interior flood walls as a way of reducing repetitive losses from flooding. To be eligible for the minimization program, individuals or families must have suffered a loss that can be minimized through a one-time mitigation measure.
Following a major storm in December 1992, the State conducted a survey to measure the program’s success. Of the 71 homeowners who responded to the survey, 49 (69 percent) indicated that they had homes exposed to floodwaters from the storm, but only 3 (less than 1 percent) were affected by the floodwaters.
Of the three homes affected by the floodwaters, only one case related to a failed minimization project. During a follow-up survey, most participants stated that they would have been affected by the storm had minimization measures not been undertaken. These survey results indicated that the program could have a major impact on reducing future storm losses, both in terms of human suffering and in taxpayer dollars saved.
Hazard Mitigation Program: Borough of Avalon, Cape May County, New Jersey The Borough of Avalon, Cape May County, New Jersey developed a mitigation strategy
designed to minimize the impact of storm damage through the implementation of structural and nonstructural mitigation projects. Projects completed under the program included:
Developing flood-level maps and installing flood-level indicators at specific points in the borough. These maps were then mass-mailed, together with a letter of explanation, to all borough residents.
Preparing and distributing a quarterly newsletter to inform residents of emergency
management proposals, such as evacuation routes, dredging and beach-fill projects, and shelter locations.
Preparing a hazard mitigation plan for the borough, including goals and objectives, proposed measures, programs, and actions to avoid vulnerability to hazards and overall beach
protection strategies.
Conducting educational seminars in the borough on measures, procedures, and problems related to severe weather emergencies; distributing informational material; and creating an instructional videotape.
Adopting land use and development ordinances and funding appropriations for property development restrictions; maintaining beaches, including installing sand fencing, planting dune grass, and implementing beach renourishment projects.
Hazard Mitigation Program: Borough of Avalon, Cape May County, New Jersey (Continued)
Elevating the municipal building, police headquarters, and public works garage above the base flood elevation.
Installing a boroughwide public address warning system that includes television access through the local cable television company.
This strategy was awarded First Place for municipalities by the 1993 National Coordinating Council on Emergency Management.
Source: Partnerships in Preparedness: A Compendium of Exemplary Practices in Emergency Management,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, December 1995
Activity
Activity: Identifying Mitigation Measures
This activity will provide you with an opportunity to identify mitigation measures in the community or in your home that will reduce or eliminate future damage from a high-risk hazard. To complete this activity, read and answer each of the questions below.
1. What is the hazard for which your community or home is at highest risk?
2. What type(s) of damage is/are likely to occur if an event involving the selected hazard occurs?
3. What steps can be taken to reduce damage from this hazard?
Summary and Transition
This unit described the five phases of emergency management activities. Unit 4 will describe the roles and responsibilities of key players in an integrated
emergency management system.
Before proceeding to the next unit, take a few minutes to complete the Knowledge Check on the next page.
Reference
Library
For More Information
Mitigation Programs: http://www.fema.gov/mit/
National Flood Insurance Program: http://www.fema.gov/nfip/
Disaster Information for Citizens:
http://www.fema.gov/library/famplan.shtm
The Stafford Act:
http://www.fema.gov/library/stafact.shtm
Public Assistance Program: http://www.fema.gov/rrr/pa/
Individual Assistance Programs: http://www.fema.gov/rrr/inassist.shtm
Check
Knowledge Check
Carefully read each question and all of the possible answers before selecting the most
appropriate response for each test item. Circle the letter corresponding to the answer you have chosen.
1. Each phase of the emergency management cycle ends before the next one begins.
a. True b. False
2. One example of mitigation is:
a. Preparing a home disaster kit. b. Ordering citizen evacuation.
c. Learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
d. Passing an ordinance controlling development in a floodplain.
3. The five phases of emergency management are useful for:
a. Limiting activities to certain times. b. Keeping staff within boundaries. c. Prioritizing actions and resources.
d. Providing categories to organize similar activities.
4. The Response phase imposes the greatest time pressures on emergency management.
a. True b. False
5. Federal assistance is available for which of the following purposes?
a. Mitigation measures
b. Medical and funeral expenses c. Temporary housing