Mitigation

What is mitigation?

     Mitigation actions involve lasting, often permanent, reduction of exposure to, probability of, or potential loss from hazard events. They tend to focus on where and how to build. Examples include: the zoning and building code requirements for rebuilding in high-hazard areas; flood plain buyouts; and analyses of flood plain and other hazard-related data to determine where it is safe to build in normal time, to open shelters in emergencies, or to locate temporary housing in the aftermath of a disaster.
     Mitigation can also involve educating businesses and the public on simple measures they can take to reduce loss or injury, like fastening bookshelves, water heaters, and file cabinets to walls to keep them from falling during earthquakes.
          - FEMA’s Guide for All-hazard Emergency               Operations Planning