DOVER — Kent County Levy Court voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the Kent County All Hazards Mitigation Plan.

The act enables federal funding for pre­-disaster mitigation actions and for direct disaster mitigation.

It also ensures that an integrated planning and action process is in place.

Mitigation plans form the foundation for a community’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage.

It creates a framework for risk-based decision making to reduce damages to lives, property, and the economy from future disasters.

During August 2014, the Kent County Levy Court was briefed about an obligation to the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding a federal mandate, which requires all county agencies in the nation to update their All Hazards Mitigation Plan every five years.

Vision Planning and Consulting, LLC completed the plan and after several layers of review, and it was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.