Citrus County is better prepared for disasters with the recent approval of their hazard mitigation plan by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Mitigation Plan Will Help Citrus County Better Prepare for Natural Disasters

The Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) plan is a long-term strategy to reduce the community’s vulnerability to natural disasters. The LMS plan approval extends to the following participating jurisdictions that provided a copy of their resolutions adopting the Citrus County, FL LMS plan:

• Citrus County, Unincorporated
• City of Crystal River
• City of Inverness

With approval of the plan, participating jurisdictions are eligible through the State for mitigation grant programs administered by FEMA. The plan identifies hazards and potential hazards in the county and cities to create a framework to help community officials make decisions that may ultimately protect lives and property.  The plan also outlines a strategy for implementing mitigation projects which provide proactive steps to lessen the impact of future disasters and the costly expenses associated with them. 

History shows that the physical, financial and emotional losses caused by disasters can be reduced significantly through hazard mitigation planning. The planning process encourages communities to integrate mitigation with day-to-day decision making regarding land-use planning, floodplain management, site design and other activities.

FEMA reviews and approves state, tribal and local hazard mitigation plans, which are required as a condition for states and communities to receive certain types of disaster assistance, including funding for mitigation projects. State mitigation plans must be approved every five years, and local and tribal mitigation plans must be approved at least once every five years.