Mitigation (disaster)

Taking action in the timeframe before a disaster to lessen post-event damage to lives and property. In risk management, many hazards such as earthquakes cannot be reduced, but the risk from that hazard can be reduced, or mitigated, for example by constructing earthquake-resistant buildings, or shelves that prevent objects from sliding off. The former is structural mitigation, the latter is non-structural.

Source(s): World Heritage Resource Manual, 'Managing Disaster Risks for World Heritage' (2010)