2022 Clinton County Hazard Mitigation Plan

Each year in the United States, disasters take the lives of hundreds of people and injure thousands more.
Nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually to help communities, organizations, businesses, and
individuals recover from disasters. These monies only partially reflect the true cost of disasters because
additional expenses to insurance companies and non-governmental organizations are not reimbursed by
tax dollars. Many disasters are predictable, and much of the damage caused by these events can be
alleviated or even eliminated.

Hazard mitigation is defined by FEMA as “any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk
to human life and property from a hazard event.” A 2019 report by the National Institute of Building
Sciences found that on average every $1 spent on mitigation saves society $6 in avoided future losses, in
addition to saving lives and preventing injuries.
Hazard mitigation planning is the process through which hazards that threaten communities are
identified, likely impacts of those hazards are determined, mitigation goals are set, and appropriate
strategies to lessen impacts are determined, prioritized, and implemented. Clinton County and the
participating incorporated cities and public school districts initially developed a multi-jurisdictional Hazard
Mitigation Plan in 2011, and subsequently updated that plan in 2017. This current planning effort serves
to update the 2017 plan.

This plan documents the hazard mitigation planning process undertaken by the Clinton County Hazard
Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC). It identifies relevant hazards and vulnerabilities in the planning
area and sets forth an updated mitigation strategy to decrease vulnerability and increase resiliency and
sustainability in Clinton County.

2022 Clinton County Hazard Mitigation Plan