2017 Spencer Comprehensive Land Use Plan

Spencer, Iowa  2017  Comprehensive Plan

C HAPTER

5 .

N ATURAL

H AZARDS &

M ITIGATION

A CTIONS

As cited in the 2014 Clay County Hazard Mitigation Plan; floods, tornados, windstorms, and severe winter storms are all examples of natural hazards that affect Iowans each year. These events threaten thousands, even millions of dollars of property damage annually and can sometimes be fatal to persons and animals in harm’s way. To protect lives and property from natural or human caused hazards, it is vital for local leaders to identify potential losses and take measures to prevent such losses; this process is known as hazard mitigation planning.

This section of the comprehensive plan addresses the identification of natural hazards affecting the community, in addition to the goals, policies and mitigation actions to address the future risk of natural hazards specific to Spencer. Natural hazards can have a devastating impact on a community, county or region. Spencer is not immune to the power of mother nature and the devastating effects that natural disasters can have upon the local economy, housing, businesses, public utilities and many other development or land use related issues. The purpose of mitigation planning is to: ▪ Mitigate against injuries, the loss of life, and property ▪ Reduce disaster losses, break the cycle of disaster damage,

reconstruction, and repeat damage ▪ Allow the city to be eligible for non- emergency disaster assistance A Hazard Mitigation Plan is intended to accomplish several things. First, through the planning process, hazards that pose a risk to the community are identified. Next, an assessment of those hazards is made. Then a list of current and historic mitigation efforts is evaluated. Once the hazards are assessed and mitigation actions are identified, the plan outlines implementation strategies. The plan

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NW Iowa Planning & Development