The core mission and key purpose of developingmitigation capability actionsis toreduce the potential loss of life and propertyby lessening the impact of future disasters.5Mitigation is the only mission area in the National Preparedness Goal specifically focused on "breaking the cycle" of disaster damage. While Option A (Identifying risks) is aprerequisitefor mitigation and Option B (Reducing vulnerabilities) is amethodof mitigation, the ultimate "Purpose" is the preservation of life and the protection of the community's physical and economic assets.

According to theNational Mitigation Framework, mitigation actions are long-term investments that change the physical environment or the regulatory landscape to make a community more "hardened." Examples include:

Structural Mitigation:Elevating buildings in flood zones, seismic retrofitting of bridges, and building "safe rooms" in tornado-prone areas.

Non-Structural Mitigation:Adopting and enforcing stringent building codes, creating "defensible space" for wildfires, and implementing land-use planning that prevents development in high-risk areas.

For aCertified Emergency and Disaster Professional (CEDP), mitigation is seen as a "force multiplier." Studies consistently show that for every dollar spent on mitigation, approximately six dollars are saved in future recovery and response costs. By reducing the potential loss of life and property, mitigation allows a community to recover more quickly (increasing resilience) and ensures that emergency responders can focus on the most critical needs rather than being overwhelmed by preventable infrastructure collapses.6The purpose of mitigation is to ensure that a hazard (like a heavy rain) does not inevitably result in a disaster (a catastrophic flood).