The Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG), chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), released the National Mitigation Investment Strategy (NMIS), a unified national strategy on mitigation investment that reduces risks posed by natural hazards and increases the nation’s resilience to disasters. The MitFLG is composed of 14 federal agencies and departments as well as state, tribal and local officials and is charged with coordinating the strategy’s implementation. The International Code Council provided comments on draft NMIS proposals and worked closely with FEMA during its development.
The NMIS devotes a section to encouraging communities to adopt and enforce up-to-date building codes. The strategy’s focus on codes as a keystone mitigation investment strategy aligns with FEMA’s current strategic plan, and highlights that up-to-date building codes help communities survive, remain resilient, and continue to provide essential services after a disaster occurs. Recent research demonstrates that current codes provide $11 in mitigation savings for every dollar invested. Nevertheless, only 32 percent of disaster-prone jurisdictions have adopted disaster-resistant building codes.