Hazard Mitigation

Under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, cities and counties were required to develop Mitigation Plans for their jurisdictions. The Gateway ADD, working with the local elected officials, Area Emergency Management officials, Regional and State Emergency Management officials, the State NFIP Coordinator, Department of Transportation, and FEMA officials, among others, have devised a plan to mitigate, or lessen the impact, to the Building Stock, Critical Structures, and Critical Infrastructure of the Gateway Region due to natural hazards.

For the purposes of the Plan, Building Stock is defined as residential buildings (houses), commercial buildings (businesses), religious buildings (churches), industrial buildings (manufacturing facilities), educational buildings (schools), governmental buildings (city halls and courthouses, detention centers) and agricultural buildings (stockyards, farmers markets).

Critical Structures are defined as Transportation Facilities (Airports, Helipads, Highways/Bridges, Tunnels, Overpasses, etc.), Essential Facilities (hospitals, medical facilities, police and fire stations, Emergency Operating Systems, schools, health and human services, etc.), and Hazardous Material Facilities (facilities that house industrial/hazardous materials such as corrosives, explosives, flammable materials, radioactive materials, toxins, etc.).

Critical Infrastructure consists of Lifeline Utility Systems, including Potable Water, Wastewater, Oil, Natural Gas, Electric Power, and Communication Systems, along with Dams/Levees.

Natural hazards include floods (general floods and flash floods), tornadoes, severe thunderstorm winds and hailstorms, severe winter storms, landslides and land subsidence, earthquakes, forest fires, dam failure, drought, extreme temperature, and karst/sinkholes.

The Gateway ADD Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan was completed and approved by FEMA in 2006, 2012, and 2019.