Office of Emergency Management

Hazard Mitigation Plan

2023 Kalamazoo County Hazard Mitigation Plan

Hazard mitigation is any action taken before, during, or after a disaster to reduce or permanently eliminate the impacts or long-term risks from hazards (natural, technological, or human-related) upon human life and property. It is an essential element of emergency management, along with preparedness, response, and recovery.

Through a combination of regulatory, administrative, and engineering approaches, losses can be limited by reducing a community’s susceptibility to damage. Hazard mitigation provides the mechanism by which communities and individuals can break the cycle of damage, reconstruction, and damage again.

Recognizing the importance of hazard mitigation, Kalamazoo County is actively addressing the issue through the development and subsequent implementation of this plan. The many benefits to be realized from this effort include the protection of the public health and safety, preservation of essential services, prevention of property damage, and the preservation of the local economic base. These will help ensure that Kalamazoo County remains a vibrant, safe, and enjoyable place in which to live, raise a family, and conduct business.

This plan was created to protect the health, safety and economic interests of residents by reducing the impacts of hazards through hazard mitigation planning, awareness, and implementation.

This plan serves as the foundation for hazard mitigation activities within the community.

Implementation of the plan’s recommendations will reduce injuries, loss of life, and destruction of property due to natural and technological hazards. The plan provides a path toward continuous, proactive reduction of vulnerability to the most frequent hazards that result in repetitive and often severe social, economic and physical damage. The ideal end-state would be the total integration of hazard mitigation activities, programs, capabilities, and actions into normal, day-to-day governmental functions and management practices.