In 1998, Seminole County was provided a federal grant through the State of Florida to develop a Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS). This was a State of Florida initiative that was implemented to help reduce the spiraling costs of disasters. The LMS identifies specific hazards, man-made, natural, and technological, that could negatively impact the community, and as such, have created a strategy to try and mitigate our community against those disasters. In 2000, the Federal Government passed what is now 44 CFR 201 & 206 (Code of Federal Regulations) that requires local communities across the country to formally create LMS’s similar in concept to what the State of Florida created in 1998.

What is mitigation?

Mitigation is the effort to reduce or eliminate the risks of injury and damage, to both people and property, against potential disaster events. This mitigation can be through mitigation construction type projects or through an educational outreach program to our community and its residents.

Some types of mitigation construction:

• Hurricane shutters for a home, business, or government building.
• Hurricane roof clips or re-enforcement.
• Installation of tornado safe rooms.
• Elevation of a flood vulnerable building or home.
• Flood proofing a home or business.
• Drainage improvement projects that reduce or eliminate local flooding.
• Road/bridge improvement projects.
• Educational programs to educate our community on things they can do to protect and mitigate their families, their employees, and their property against potential disaster.

This year, Seminole County is revising the LMS to produce a very comprehensive mitigation strategy taking advantage of new technology and information. The final product will better identify hazards and allow better estimated damages from a disaster event before disaster ever strikes. This will allow the working group to target the most vulnerable infrastructures first.

The primary LMS members are those government and quasi-government, non-profit, agencies who are eligible to apply for grant program funding as defined by the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, 44 CFR 201.2. However, meetings are open to the general public and anyone wishing to attend the meetings are welcome to do so. The next meeting times are posted on the Emergency Management training calendar.

Attached is a draft copy of the new Local Mitigation Strategy.  To provide comments go to http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/dps/survey.asp and provide information on any of the available sections.  Thank you for your input!