Weighing the Benefits of GHADs

Abstract Hazard mitigation can take one or more of three forms: risk identification, risk reduction, and risk transfer. With respect to landslide hazards, risk identification involves mapping, surveying, testing soil stability, etc. Risk reduction can include either hard mitigation techniques—engineering solutions such as constructing retaining walls, drilling bores to drain excess water, reshaping the terrain for erosion and stormwater control, etc.—or soft mitigation techniques—using planning, zoning, and other regulatory techniques to keep development out of harm's way. Risk transfer techniques minimize losses by spreading the burden through such programs as insurance, disaster relief, and disclosure laws. These risk transfer mechanisms do not directly reduce the hazard but protect against financial losses, provide relief in the aftermath of a disaster, and provide information to buyers and sellers about the hazard so (public and private) investment decisions take the risk into consideration. Most mitigation strategies comprise elements of all three techniques, but their emphasis may favor one over the other and GHADs are no exception.