2019 New York State Hazard Mitigation Plan

Approved by FEMA December 17, 2018

The New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) serves as the lead state agency responsible for the maintenance and 5-year update of the State Hazard Mitigation Plan (SHMP) under the direction of the Disaster Preparedness Commission (DPC), which is comprised of the agencies that contribute to mitigation, response and recovery in New York. While DHSES holds primary responsibility for coordinating and tracking the progress of mitigation actions, many programs and actions are administered by other federal, state and local entities. Inter-organizational coordination is the key to developing a comprehensive state mitigation strategy designed to reduce the state’s overall risk and vulnerabilities.

As the severity and frequency of natural disasters increase, so does the devastation and exorbitant cost of recovery left in their wake. In recent years, national focus has taken a dramatic shift towards mitigation - sustained actions that reduce the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. New York State recognizes that the time to act is before disaster strikes.

Current research shows that for every $1 spent on mitigation, an average $6 is saved. However, since the largest amount of federal mitigation dollars becomes available following a declared disaster, resulting actions taken are inevitably reactive instead of proactive. In New York, we believe that the solution to this is to devote greater resources to mitigation planning - both at the state and local level.

DHSES is pleased to provide the link to Mitigate NY, New York State's 2019 Hazard Mitigation Plan (2019 SHMP) and planning website.

The 2019 SHMP:

• Documents New York's progress in identifying risks and mitigating natural hazards to avoid the loss of lives and injury and reduce the damage to state-owned and -managed infrastructure.
• Integrates local Hazard Mitigation Planning with the State Plan, by providing technical assistance for local mitigation planning including consistent, up-to-date web-based risk and capability analysis tools to facilitating project development and evaluation statewide.
• Transitions the State’s framework from static planning documents to data-rich, web-based planning tools accessible to all.
• Encourages Hazard Mitigation Planning in coordination with resiliency planning, smart growth, land-use planning, and environmental planning.
• Provides a comprehensive picture of the State’s hazard mitigation capabilities.
• Enables decision makers in all levels of government and the private sector to develop, prioritize, select and implement well-conceived risk reduction actions.