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U.S. state, territorial, and tribal government officials develop State Hazard Mitigation Plans (SHMPs) to assist in reducing the risk of disaster impacts on people, physical infrastructure, and the natural environment. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approves SHMPs every five years as a requirement to be eligible to receive funding for FEMA disaster relief grants and disaster mitigation projects. As of April 2023, updated FEMA policy guidance for SHMPs is in effect that calls for greater community engagement in the planning process and stipulates that plans consider equity and climate change. In response to these changes, this project takes the position that more robust conceptualizations of socially vulnerable populations and inclusive use of social vulnerability data can help states in the development of multi-hazard risk assessments. Social vulnerability emerges from systemic inequities, resulting in populations facing disproportionate impacts in disasters. It is a helpful framework for identifying underserved and marginalized populations. Given the crucial importance of considering social vulnerability in mitigation planning, our research team developed two novel datasets with descriptive data of the populations, definitions, and different measures of social vulnerability included in SHMPs for all 50 states and 5 inhabited U.S. territories. Specifically, this project includes two datasets: (1) a quantitative dataset where mentions of socially vulnerable populations and concepts are marked with a binary indicator of inclusion or exclusion in the State Hazard Mitigation Plan and (2) a qualitative dataset that contains quotes and locations of populations and concepts throughout each SHMP. The corresponding mission for each dataset includes: (1) the State Hazard Mitigation Plan dataset; (2) a data dictionary with description of each variable output; (3) variable definitions for the population groups included in State Hazard Mitigation Plans; and (4) a READ ME file with important information. These datasets and associated materials can help State Hazard Mitigation Officers and their technical partners identify gaps in addressing social vulnerability as they update the SHMPs for the areas they serve. These resources are available to researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who are interested in addressing social vulnerability in hazard mitigation planning.
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Is Time on Our Side? A Longitudinal Analysis of the Quality of Mandated Plans
Do plans get better over time? This deceptively simple question goes to the heart of our profession’s effectiveness. We use a multi-state, longitudinal analysis of eighty-four local plans to add to our knowledge base about changes in plan quality over time. Our longitudinal findings reinforce and extend the conclusions of previous cross-sectional studies of hazard mitigation plan quality. Simply put, local planning to meet federal Disaster Mitigation Act requirements grossly underperforms compared with its potential. Our findings raise cautionary lessons beyond the realm of risk reduction, as well as federal and state policymakers who seek to incentivize local planning.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1760183
- PAR ID:
- 10464068
- Publisher / Repository:
- SAGE Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Planning Education and Research
- Volume:
- 45
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0739-456X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 218-232
- Size(s):
- p. 218-232
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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