Mitigation

The Northern Ireland guide to emergency planning arrangements groups prevention, reduction and mitigation as one activity within civil protection. If an organisation can eliminate or substantially reduce a risk, for example by introducing monitoring or changing working practices, it should. Where a risk is outside its control, "it may still be able to take steps to limit the consequences or mitigate the effects". The guide's example is a basement computer server at risk of flooding in exceptionally wet weather: the flooding may not be preventable, but moving the server to an upper floor stops a flood from disrupting the computer system.

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 uses the word as part of a fixed phrase. Section 2(1)(d) requires Category 1 responders to maintain plans so that they can perform their functions for the purpose of preventing an emergency, "reducing, controlling or mitigating its effects", or taking other action in connection with it. Section 21 makes it a condition of emergency regulations that provision is necessary "for the purpose of preventing, controlling or mitigating an aspect or effect of the emergency".

For a household the same logic applies to the Be Ready flooding advice on flood protection products, insurance and moving important items upstairs.