Hazard Mitigation Plans

Hazard mitigation planning is a process that State, Tribal, and local governments use to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural hazards (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, floods), and develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events.

A hazard mitigation plan assesses the current and possible future risk and the community capabilities for a given geographic area and then assigns long-term mitigation strategies to address vulnerabilities. FEMA requires State, Tribal, and local governments to develop and adopt hazard mitigation plans as a condition for receiving certain types of non-emergency disaster assistance, including funding for mitigation projects. Jurisdictions must update their hazard mitigation plans and resubmit them for FEMA approval every five years to maintain eligibility.

Visit the FEMA website for more information on Hazard Mitigation Planning and for Local Mitigation Planning Resources.

Hazard Mitigation in Illinois

The Illinois Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (INHMP) was developed as a cooperative effort of state agencies under the coordination of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). It discusses the process used to identify, profile and assess natural hazards in Illinois and the actions which should be taken to mitigate those hazards.

The INHMP facilitates the delivery of mitigation grant funding to organizations through the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program. The INHMP addresses mitigation planning requirements for these programs.

A list of approved county Mitigation Plans in Illinois can also be found on the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) website.