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Mitigation is any step taken to reduce the likelihood of a disaster occurring or, in the event a disaster cannot be prevented, lessening its impact. A good example of mitigation is the relocation of houses out of flood-prone areas. Mitigation has become firmly cemented in state and federal disaster programs over the past few years, primarily due to the overwhelming success of mitigation activities nationwide.

Another definition for mitigation is the ongoing effort to lessen the impact disasters have on people and property. Mitigation involves keeping homes away from floodplains, engineering bridges to withstand earthquakes, creating and enforcing effective building codes to protect property from hurricanes, and more. Mitigation is defined as "sustained action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects." It describes the ongoing effort at the Federal, State, local, and individual levels to lessen the impact of disasters upon our families, homes, communities and economy.

Through the application of mitigation technologies and practices, our society can ensure that fewer Americans and their communities become victims of natural disasters. For example, mitigation measures can be applied to strengthen your home, so your family and belongings are better protected from floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural hazards. They can be utilized to help business and industry avoid damages to their facilities and remain operational in the face of catastrophe. Mitigation technologies can be used to strengthen hospitals, fire stations, and other critical service facilities so that they can remain operational or reopen more quickly after an event. In addition, mitigation measures can help reduce disaster losses and suffering so that there is less demand for money and resources in the aftermath.

In practice, mitigation can take many forms. It can involve actions such as:

  • Promoting sound land use planning based on known hazards
  • Buying flood insurance to protect your belongings
  • Removing, relocating or elevating structures out of the floodplains
  • Securing shelves and water heaters to nearby walls
  • Developing, adopting, and enforcing effective building codes and standards
  • Engineering roads and bridges to withstand floods and earthquakes
  • Using fire-retardant materials in new construction
  • Developing and implementing a plan in your business or community to reduce your susceptibility to hazards

TEMA’s Mitigation Program consists of two areas: Planning and Grants.

Mitigation Planning

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2k) amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (commonly referred to as the "Stafford Act") incorporating mitigation planning as a pre-requisite for receiving mitigation grant dollars. As stated in 44 Code of Federal Regulations Section 201.1(b), "The purpose of mitigation planning is ... to identify the natural hazards that impact them, to identify actions and activities to reduce any losses from those hazards, and to establish a coordinated process to implement the plan, taking advantage of a wide range of resources."

State Mitigation Plan
The State of Tennessee’s Mitigation Plan complies with the Federal requirements set forth in 44 CFR Section 201.4, Standard State Mitigation Plans. Maintaining FEMA approval ensures state and local governments, as well as certain private non-profit organizations, remain eligible to apply for non-emergency Stafford Act assistance (Public Assistance, Categories C-G) and FEMA Mitigation Grants.

The plan is housed at the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. It is a public document, and therefore available for review. To obtain an electronic copy, call 615.741.9367. All comments are welcome.

Local Mitigation Plans


Over fifty percent of all jurisdictions in the State of Tennessee have FEMA-approved local hazard mitigation plans. Regulations governing content of local mitigation plans is found in 44 CFR Section 201.6, Local Mitigation Plans. A FEMA approved plan ensures the local jurisdiction is eligible to apply for all mitigation grant programs:

  • Flood Mitigation Assistance Program
  • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
  • Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program
  • Repetitive Flood Claims
  • Severe Repetitive Loss

Note: A single jurisdiction can develop a plan; however, the state encourages multi-jurisdictional plans and would rather see a county and all city or town entities involved in the same plan and planning process.

Developing a local mitigation plan is considered an eligible activity under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program.  

 

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