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<br /> <br />1. Introduction <br />1.1 Background <br /> <br />San Leandro is a vibrant and thriving community, but every aspect of the city – its <br />economic prosperity, social and cultural diversity, and historical character – could be <br />dramatically altered by a serious earthquake or fire. While we cannot predict or protect <br />ourselves against every possible hazard that may strike the community, we can anticipate <br />many impacts and take steps to reduce the harm they will cause. <br /> <br />The City has been working for years to address certain aspects of the risk – such as <br />strengthening structures, growing the City’s emergency management procedures and <br />infrastructure, and training city staff. The 2005 Disaster Mitigation plan formalized this <br />process, ensuring that these activities continued to be explored and improved over time. <br /> <br />Over many years, this constant focus on disasters has made San Leandro, and its residents <br />and businesses, much safer. This 2015 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan continues this ongoing <br />process to evaluate the risks that different hazards pose to San Leandro, and to engage the <br />community in dialogue to identify the most important steps that the City and its partners <br />should pursue to reduce these risks. The federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 called for <br />all communities to prepare mitigation plans. <br /> <br />1.2 Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 <br /> <br />The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) requires that each State develop a hazard <br />mitigation plan in order to receive future funding following a disaster. The new <br />requirement provides some funding to each State to engage in planning activities to prepare <br />the plan. The requirements also call for the development of local or county plans for that <br />particular jurisdiction to be eligible for post-disaster funding. The purpose of these <br />requirements is to have programs and projects in place that will help minimize the loss of <br />life, property, environment, and total cost of disasters. <br /> <br />DMA 2000 §201.6 (c) (3) of the requirements outlines the process for localities in <br />developing their mitigation strategies. Specifically, the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan must <br />“include a mitigation strategy that provides the jurisdiction’s blueprint for reducing the <br />potential losses identified in the risk assessment, based on existing authorities, policies, <br />programs, and resources, and its ability to expand on and improve these existing tools.” <br />These strategies should be built on an assessment of hazard risks and vulnerabilities. The <br />plans should include measures to mitigate hazard risks and demonstrate the benefit of these <br />activities. They should also identify gaps in knowledge and data and a strategy to maintain <br />and update the data, projects, information, and the overall mitigation plan. <br />