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14. Describe how your community uses incentives to encourage mitigation (e. g. , tax credits, building codes, waiver of building permit fee, FEMA -approved mitigation plan in place) . Indian River County uses participation in the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) as an incentive to encourage mitigation . Involvement in planning and developing the LMS is a requirement for organizations interested in completing a mitigation project. Only projects identified and prioritized in the LMS will be eligible for funding . 15. Describe any outreach activities that are planned relative to this mitigation activity (e. g. , signs, press releases, success stories, developing package to share with other communities, losses avoided analysis) . The Indian River Council on Aging conducts outreach on their services and projects daily through the internet and brochures . The Council will continue to use the internet as a medium to showcase this senior center retrofit project . Project specific brochures will be designed to showcase the efforts taken to harden the Indian River County Senior Center. 16. Describe how this mitigation activity is creative/innovative. The construction of this senior facility is a creative and innovative project because it is helping to alleviate a number of issues with the community. The new, more disaster resistant critical facility will assist the Council in providing key social services in the community . Because the new facility will be more disaster resistant that the current facility, the Council will be able to resume its social services to the elderly more quickly following an event. The senior center will not only benefit the community ' s elder population , it will also serve as a primary emergency shelter for all community members as well . This is important because as of 2002 , Indian River had a 2 , 000-person deficiency in shelter for category 3 , 4 , or 5 storms . While school facilities will continue to be the major type of public facility used for public sheltering, in anticipation of the continued growth expected in the county, the need for shelter space will be heightened . While it can be expected that new schools will be constructed to meet new growth , and serve as public shelters, other types of facilities are needed to reduce the shelter space deficit . The Council already has hardened its existing Senior Center in Sebastian and ARC has approved it for use as a primary shelter. It is the policy of the Council to harden all new senior centers as well . 17. Describe how this mitigation activity will serve as a model for other communities (e. g. , Do you intend to mentor other communities, tribes or States ? Do you intend to prepare a description of the process followed in this activity so that others may learn from the example ?) . This activity will serve as a model for other communities because it is focused on the mitigation needs of special and underrepresented populations within a community . The aging population in Indian River County is large and growing, like most of Florida . It is important that their hazard mitigation needs be met in order to move towards a more disaster resistant community . The Council does plan on preparing a project information sheet following completion of the project so that other communities can learn from the project process as well . Upon request of the Florida Department of Community Affairs , the Council is willing to promote the utilization of senior centers as primary evacuation shelters .