Mitigating natural hazards: county-level hazard mitigation plan quality in Washington State

Local-level hazard mitigation plans have the potential to reduce communities’ losses from natural hazards, some of which are projected to intensify with climate change, although there remain gaps in knowledge regarding the quality of these plans. This study used an established protocol to assign plan quality scores to county-level hazard mitigation plans in Washington State. Plans received higher scores in some components of quality (e.g. vision statement) than in others (e.g. specific policies), and overall quality varied with geography and plan authorship. This paper concludes with recommendations for future planning and research that may support community resilience to natural hazards.