HAZARD AND THREAT
ASSESSMENT UNIT

The mission of the Hazard and Threat Assessment Unit is to keep the emergency management community and key government officials informed about ongoing or potential disaster conditions. It provides the “eyes and ears” that government officials need in order to make intelligent and proactive decisions about disaster response, recovery, and mitigation.

The primary responsibility of Hazard and Threat Assessment is the timely gathering and analysis of information about natural hazards in the state of Arizona, such as floods, droughts, wildland fires, and severe winter storms plus awareness of potential disasters resulting from human threats.  The most critical information concerns the likelihood of their occurrence and their probable consequences, especially upon the people of Arizona and our critical infrastructures. This information may be related to an ongoing disaster, or to the recovery phase of one that has already occurred.

Perhaps more often, the assessment may involve an anticipated event that has the potential to develop somewhere “over the horizon.” For example, the more we know about the development of hazardous weather conditions the easier it is to make intelligent preparation and mitigation decisions ahead of time. Hazard and Threat Assessment also involves the analysis of man-made or technological emergencies such as fuel or electrical supply shortfalls and terrorist acts.

The Hazard and Threat Assessment Unit is responsible for the production of hazard and threat -specific situation reports and maps and conducts situation briefings on significant threat developments. During an actual emergency, the unit’s job is to provide current information about the developing situation, and to maintain liaison with other government agencies, academic groups, and private organizations that can provide technical information and assistance.

The Hazard Assessment Unit maintains close ties with key government agencies and participates in a number of cooperative intergovernmental task forces. These include:

CONTACT
For additional information regarding Hazard and Threat Assessment, please contact us for your area of interest.