Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Planning and Hazards

Land use plans dealing with natural hazards might make sense in areas subject to severe storms, earthquakes and wildfires. My community is not at risk, so why should I care?

Are you certain you are not at risk? Hazard assessment maps show that every community in the United States is at risk from one or more natural events - such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes - that could harm people and damage property. It doesn't take a major hurricane or flood to cause devastation at the local level. If many years have passed since the last natural disaster where you live, development decisions may have enhanced the potential for even a small natural event to cause a local catastrophe.

My community is already largely developed. Isn't it too late for land use planning to make a difference?

Your densely developed community can benefit greatly from a plan that incorporates natural hazard concerns. Community comprehensive plans do much more than help the community decide where to put the next new development. It can help protect existing resources of the community, such as open space for recreation and help the community make better decisions about redevelopment proposals. An important application of a land use plan for a developed area is using it to envision the post-disaster rebuilding scenario . Many decisions made immediately after disaster strikes have long-term effects on the community. Land use planning can help ensure that the community recovers in the best way possible for both the economy and the overall environment.

Making homes and workplaces stronger will reduce losses, so why don't we just build stronger buildings?

It's true that well-designed buildings can withstand the impact of some natural hazards. Construction practices in most communities, though, will not protect a building and its occupants from severe winds, intense earthquakes, widespread wildfires or raging floods. And in any case, the costs of building or retrofitting to resist severe events are high. Affordable housing is an important social concern. Consideration of extreme natural events while planning the location of new development can help eliminate or reduce the impact from even the most severe acts of nature. It can also help reduce the costs associated with having to make a building withstand high water, heavy winds or severe shaking.

Can't we just let people build wherever they want, as long as they take responsibility for their actions?

In some cases allowing people to build where they want can have effects on other people. For example, a new housing development built on the side of a mountain may strip away the natural habitat that formerly helped absorb stormwater runoff and periodic floodwaters. The area then becomes susceptible to frequent flooding, causing problems for those residing at the base of the mountain where no problem previously existed. The cumulative effect over time of development with no consideration of natural hazards often causes similar types of problems.

On a case by case basis, the total financial and societal risk of developing in hazardous areas is difficult to measure accurately until after a disaster event occurs. And people don't always take responsibility for their poor choices; instead they expect the government to bail them out.

If a disaster hits my community, won't insurance or government disaster relief be enough to cover the damage?

Whenever major catastrophes hit, there is usually not enough insurance to cover all the losses to homes and their contents or businesses and their inventory. Property owners sometimes do not recognize the potential for disaster and thus underinsure. In some areas, certain types of insurance, such as for flood or earthquake, can be difficult to obtain or very expensive. Of course, insurance cannot prevent the disaster from occurring or replace the loss of personal or sentimental items.

If the disaster area is large enough, or if there are few resources for recovery, such as insurance, in place, the state and federal governments often provide disaster loans and grants. Typically, grants are given to replace public infrastructure and buildings, with a share of the cost coming from the community. Grants and loans can also be given to home and business owners, but are limited, with strict requirements for loan repayment. If the natural hazard strikes only a small area, victims often have to cope on their own.

Can we really tell people what to do with their own land? Doesn't that intrude on property rights protected by the Constitution?

If land use plans and subsequent ordinances or requirements are based upon a realistic assessment of the risk to public health, safety and welfare, they generally hold up under legal scrutiny. Land use plans help to balance property owner rights with the social, economic, aesthetic and ecological costs of development to the entire community. Landowners must accept greater responsibility for the risks they assume when they put structures in harm's way.

What if we don't have a land use plan? How do we get started and where can we get help?

To determine whether your community has a plan, contact your local government planning office. If there is no planning office, contact the town/city/county manager's office. If you find there is no such plan once you contact the appropriate department, follow through by working with local officials to determine what the process is to develop a plan. Contacting elected officials and emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive plan is always effective in getting the plan process initiated. Developing broad-based coalitions of interest groups will help establish the community desire for a plan. Local resources are available through state and regional chapters of the American Planning Association (APA), as well as many state or local government offices that provide community planning support.

Do citizens have any say in the decisions that land use planners make?

Absolutely. The process requires public participation to be successful. To get involved, you need to find out when the local planning and zoning board meets and the projects they are reviewing. Meetings for these groups are open to the public and it is your right to attend and participate. Without community input the planning and zoning boards are missing a big part of the information needed in making land use decisions.

Citizen planners are those citizens who take an even greater role in the process and volunteer to serve on committees working with the local government in developing the plan, as well as those who sit on decision making boards and commissions.

The businesses in my community will also suffer when storms or earthquakes hit. What can they do to help plan effectively and to reduce losses?

Businesses are citizens, too, and can participate in the planning process. Once potential losses to business facilities, inventory, supply links or customer base are made clear to businesses in the community, they are often quite willing to participate in planning decisions. Protecting the local area from natural hazard losses is in the best interest of businesses with a stake in the community.