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1 . INTRODUCTION TO HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING 1.1 WHY PREPARE THIS PLAN? 1.1.1 The Big Picture Hazard mitigation is defined as any action taken to reduce or alleviate the loss of life,personal injury,and property damage that can result from a disaster. It involves long-and short-term actions implemented before, during and after disasters. Hazard mitigation activities include planning efforts,policy changes,programs,studies, improvement projects,and other steps to reduce the impacts of hazards. For many years,federal disaster funding focused on relief and recovery after disasters occurred,with limited funding for hazard mitigation planning in advance.The Disaster Mitigation Act(DMA; Public Law 106-390), passed in 2000,shifted the federal emphasis toward planning for disasters before they occur. The DMA requires state and local governments to develop hazard mitigation plans and update them every five years as a condition for federal disaster grant assistance. Regulations developed to fulfill the DMA's requirements are included in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations(44 CFR). The responsibility for hazard mitigation lies with many,including private property owners,commercial interests, and local,state and federal governments.The DMA encourages cooperation among state and local authorities in pre-disaster planning.The enhanced planning network called for by the DMA helps local government's articulate accurate needs for mitigation,resulting in faster allocation of funding and more cost-effective risk-reduction projects. The DMA also promotes sustainability in hazard mitigation.To be sustainable,hazard mitigation needs to incorporate sound management of natural resources and address hazards and mitigation in the largest possible social and economic context. 1.1.2 Purposes for Planning In response to the requirements of the DMA,the cities of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton,California and the Dublin San Ramon Services District have developed this multi jurisdiction hazard mitigation plan.The three cities make up the incorporated area of the Alameda County portion of California's Tri-Valley region,on the east side of the San Francisco Bay area. This multi jurisdiction plan represents an update to each city's component of the Association of Bay Area Governments(ABAG)2010 Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area. The three cities prepared annexes for the ABAG 2010 hazard mitigation plan that were approved and adopted from 2011 to 2012. The Tri-Valley Local Hazard Mitigation Plan fulfills the five-year plan update requirement for these planning partners. It identifies resources,information,and strategies for reducing risk from natural hazards in the Tri- Valley planning area.Components of the hazard mitigation plan were selected because they meet a program requirement and because they best meet the needs of the planning partners(the cities and participating special districts)and their citizens.One benefit of multi jurisdictional planning is the ability to pool resources and eliminate redundant activities within a planning area that has uniform risk exposure and vulnerabilities. The TETRA TECH 1-1