Onondaga County Residents,

The Onondaga County Hazard Mitigation Plan Steering Committee—along with the support of County, regional, and State agencies and stakeholders—has recently been formed to address disasters that may occur in Onondaga County and to develop strategies to mitigate against losses. To identify and plan for future disasters, this community planning committee needs input from the citizens of Onondaga County.

As defined by FEMA, mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. In order for mitigation to be effective, we need to take action now - before the next disaster - to reduce human and financial consequences later. Effective mitigation requires that we all understand local risks, address the hard choices, and invest in long-term community well-being. Without mitigation actions, we jeopardize our safety, financial security and self-reliance.

This questionnaire is designed to help the committee gauge the level of knowledge that local citizens already have about natural and human-caused disaster issues. Our questionnaire also asks for information you may have about areas vulnerable to disaster. The information you provide will help us coordinate activities to reduce the risk of future injury or property damage for you and others.

This questionnaire consists of 25 questions and will take less than 15 minutes to completed.

The Onondaga County Hazard Mitigation Plan Planning Committee thanks you for taking the time to participate in this information-gathering process.

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