Disasters damage the built environment, and they can also result in the loss of lives. In other words, they are associated with mild or severe consequences in the short and long run. In today’s world, given an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters as well as a shrinking economy, I think the public would like emergency planners/managers to follow structural mitigation. One of the key differences between structural and non-structural mitigation costs; structural measures are more costly than non-structural actions. However, structural prevention methods provide relatively high levels of protection since they act against natural forces, through the establishment of facilities such as dykes and dams (Hayashi, Suzuki, Sato, & Tsukahara, 2016).
The public would like disaster managers/planners to utilize structural mitigation because they move natural forces rather than relocate people. Some of these strategies have been successfully applied to build urban centers along with coastal locations or along with areas through which water pass. A real-life example of a structural hazard prevention strategy is the water mitigation system that enables Los Angeles to withstand storms (Hayashi et al., 2016).
On the other hand, although non-structural mitigation strategies are less expensive, they work alongside natural forces, through land acquisition and resettlement of people away from areas that have potential risks. These acquisitions and resettlements are realized through the execution of land regulations and zoning programs. The programs intend to take the population and property away from locations that are either affected by hazards or are thought to be potentially risky. A real-life example of this type of mitigation is the beach nourishment that replaces ferried sand along the coast to retain equilibrium and, consequently, prevent natural disasters (Hayashi et al., 2016).
Reference
Hayashi, Y., Suzuki, Y., Sato, S., & Tsukahara, K. (2016). Disaster resilient cities: Concepts and practical examples. New York, NY: Butterworth-Heinemann.