Equity and Mitigation Planning

Mitigation planning creates a pathway to reduce vulnerabilities. State, local, tribal and territorial governments engage underserved communities, populations, neighborhoods, and census tracts as mitigation plans are developed and updated. Together, stakeholders participate in mitigation planning to develop and adopt mitigation solutions.

Updated mitigation policies (State Mitigation Planning Policy Guide and Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide) have equity considerations for underserved communities and socially vulnerable populations woven throughout the elements, specifically in the requirements for planning process, risk assessments and the mitigation strategy.

There are a variety of tools and resources that can assist planners incorporate equity into mitigation plan development or update. The resources here are just a few of the helpful tools available to help identify and engage underserved and vulnerable populations, neighborhoods, and census tracts in the planning area.

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Visit FEMA's Equity page for more information on how FEMA approaches equity.

Resources

Building Alliances for Equitable Resilience

The Resilient Nation Partnership Network's Building Alliances for Equitable Resilience is a resource document with guidance, perspectives, stories, and additional resources from partners. This document gives readers and community leaders actions they can take to conduct more equitable practices.

Citizen Participation and Equitable Engagement Toolkit

The Citizen Participation & Equitable Engagement (CPEE) Toolkit from the Department of Housing and Urban Development aids in centering equity in disaster recovery programs through an enhanced citizen participation process to provide residents the chance to actively participate in the planning, implementation, and assessment of the programs and projects.

Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation

Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation integrates information from across the federal government to help people consider their local exposure to climate-related hazards and help emergency managers develop equitable climate resilience plans to protect people, property and infrastructure.

Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool

The Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool from the Environmental Protection Agency allows the user to quickly visualize various environmental, health, socioeconomic, and other equity indices and layers compared to the larger United States or the individual state.

Guide to Supporting Engagement and Resiliency in Rural Communities

The Guide to Supporting Engagement and Resiliency in Rural Communities from FEMA's Risk Management Directorate provides information on how to engage in meaningful discussions and relationships with rural communities. The guide is a step toward designing outreach and engagement activities that can be adapted for individual communities.

Guides to Expanding Mitigation

FEMA's Guides to Expanding Mitigation are part of a series designed to highlight innovative and emerging partnerships for mitigation. The booklets show how communities can better support hazard mitigation projects and planning by engaging other sectors; supporting FEMA's goal of building a culture of preparedness, as part of the agency's strategic plan.

Relevant sections include:

Last updated February 9, 2023
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