PARTICIPANT SECTION REGION 21 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 PARTICIPANT SECTION REGION 21 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January 2016 Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

2 INTRODUCTION The 2016 North Platte Natural Resources District (NP NRD) Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) is an update to the plan that was adopted by the Region 21 Emergency Management and the participating communities in March This HMP includes two primary sections: the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan and the Participant (i.e. NRD, County, Municipal, and School District) Sections. Participant Sections include similar information which is also provided in the Regional section, but rather is specific information for the Region 21 Emergency Management. Different information is available for NRDs than is available for a typical participant, making this section unique to other Participant Sections Participation Location /Geography Climate Demographics Transportation Future Development Trends Parcel Improvements and Valuations Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources Historical Hazard Events Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Governance Capability Assessment Plan Integration Mitigation Actions Nebraska has 104 emergency management professionals dedicated to serving cities, counties, and emergency management agencies. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has a variety of different types of designations PARTICIPATION Local Planning Team Table XX.1 provides the list of participating community members that comprised the Region 21 Emergency Management Local Planning Team. Members of the planning team attended Round 1 and Round 2 meetings and provided important information including but not limited to: confirming demographic information, critical facilities, structural inventory, future development trends, hazard history and impacts, identifying hazards of greatest concern for the community, and prioritization of mitigation actions that address the hazards at risk to the community. Table XX.1: Region 21 Emergency Management Local Planning Team Name Title Department / Organization Ron Leal Emergency Manager Region 21 Emergency Management Kay Anderson Deputy Emergency Manager Region 21 Emergency Management Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

3 Public Participation The Local Planning Team made efforts to notify the public of this planning effort and how they could participate in the development of the plan update. The following table identifies the dates and types of public outreach notifications. Table XX.2: Public Notification Efforts Date Notification Location Project Website Link to Project Website Post Project Flyer Community Profile available for public comment and review LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHY The Region 21 Emergency Management is located in the panhandle of Nebraska. The total area of Region 21 Emergency Management is 4,798 square miles. Major waterways within the county include the North Platte River, running through the center of the emergency management agency, from northwest to southeast. Region 21 is primarily made up of shrubland and herbaceous/grassland land types. Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

4 DEMOGRAPHICS Region 21 Emergency Management does not collect data on demographics, or any type of data regarding employment. To access these data, please refer to a given Participant Section for data on a community s demographics. PUBLIC OUTREACH The Region 21 Emergency Management works to engage the public with a variety of strategies. The agency partners with the National Weather Service to conduct annual training for tornado spotters. Region 21 also has a strong social media presence, which regularly updates followers about preparedness events nationally and in the community. Region 21 also shares information regarding severe weather in the area. Figure XX.5: Land Use Map Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

5 Chemical Storage Fixed Sites Chemical sites are located throughout Region 21. Complete lists of chemical sites in each jurisdiction may be found in each participant section. Critical Facilities Each participating jurisdiction identified critical facilities vital for disaster response, providing shelter to the public, and essential for returning the jurisdiction s functions to normal during and after a disaster. Critical facilities were identified during the original planning process and updated by the local planning team as a part of this plan update. The following table and figure provide a summary of the critical facilities for the jurisdiction. Critical facilities for the Region 21 Emergency Management are located primarily in the county s incorporated communities. Table XX.7: List of Critical Facilities in Region 21 Number Critical Facility 1 Bridgeport Ethanol 2 Garden County Courthouse 3 Morrill County Courthouse Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

6 HISTORICAL OCCURRENCES For a historical analysis of weather events, the NCDC was used. Unfortunately, climate data is not collected at the emergency management level. For more information on severe weather which has affected Region 21, please refer to the individual Participant Sections. RISK ASSESSMENT Hazard Identification The following table is a localized risk assessment of hazards identified specifically for Morrill County. Refer to Section Four: Risk Assessment for an explanation of this methodology. Table XX.10: Risk Assessment HAZARD TYPE PREVIOUS OCCURRENCE Yes/No LOCAL LOSSES SPECIFIC CONCERNS IDENTIFIED Agricultural Animal Disease No None N/A Agricultural Plant Disease No None N/A Chemical Spills (Fixed Site) No None N/A Chemical Spills (Transportation) No None N/A Civil Disorder No None N/A Dam Failure No None N/A Drought No None N/A Earthquakes No None N/A Extreme Heat No None N/A Flooding Yes None Sewer System in Bridgeport Grass/Wildfires No None N/A Hail Yes Yes Crop Damage High Winds Yes N/A N/A Landslides No None N/A Levee Failure No None N/A Radiological Incident (Fixed Site) No None N/A Radiological Incident (Transportation) No None N/A Severe Thunderstorms Yes Flash Flooding County Roads, Basements, etc Severe Winter Storms Yes Livestock Livestock, Roads Closed Terrorism No None N/A Tornados Yes Life and Property Live and Property Urban Fire Yes Grazing Food for Livestock *Identified by the planning team as a top concern for the jurisdiction For more information regarding these area wide hazards, please see Section Four: Risk Assessment. The following provides county specific information, reported in Region 21 Emergency Management Risk Assessment Summary that is relevant to each hazard. Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

7 When presented with a list of hazards for the Nebraska State Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Broadwater Local Planning Team identified chemical spills (transportation), flooding, severe thunderstorm, severe winter storms, and tornados. Chemical Spills (Transportation) The Local Planning Team indicated that chemical spills are a top concern for Region 21. No significant events have occurred, save a few minor diesel spills. The primary concerns of the emergency management region are transported chemicals from both truck traffic and railroad transportation. For truck traffic, Highway 384 is a particular concern for the Local Planning Team because so many trucks utilize this highway. Other areas of concern are include Bridgeport Ethanol, an ethanol producer just outside of Bridgeport, NE. In an effort to limit lasting impacts as a result of chemical spills, local firefighters are trained in an awareness capacity of chemical spills, in addition, some firefighters have taken Firefighter 1 classes which contain some limited chemical spill response techniques. In the case of a significant chemical spill, the community would likely notify the nearest Hazardous Materials team, which is located in Scottsbluff. Moving forward, the emergency management region intends to offer hazardous material training every two years to all firefighters. Flooding The Local Planning Team indicated that flooding is a top concern for the region. The Local Planning Team indicated that the most recent impacts were during May and June of 2015, when many County Roads were washed out. The entire Emergency Management region experienced highway damages, and minor flooding was experienced in Bridgeport, and Lewellen. According to the Local Planning Team, Bridgeport is the biggest concern for the region, because many residences and a sewage lagoon are at risk of flooding damages. Another additional concern is the historic bridge near Lewellen. The bridge is consistently the catalyst of flooding events, largely due to ice jambs occurring at the bridge. To prevent lasting impacts as a result of flooding, the emergency manager works especially hard to monitor water levels during high precipitation events. Further, the emergency management region also keeps ton sandbags on hand at all times, and 5,000 small sandbags to prevent floodwaters from reaching certain areas of the community. In the past, to prevent flooding at Lewellen, individuals had cut the dirt road, to relieve tension near the Lewellen Bridge, allowing water to pass both under and around the bridge. To prevent lasting impacts in the future, the Local Planning Team intends to emphasize preparedness and monitoring, to improve lead-time on any flooding events. Severe Thunderstorms Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

8 The Local Planning Team indicated that severe thunderstorms are a top concern for the region as a whole. This is supported by the perception of many other communities in the area. While the area experiences a severe thunderstorm event annually, the Local Planning Team recalled 2010, 2013, and 2015 as especially difficult years for severe thunderstorms. Hazards that the region is most concerned about include flooding, hail, and lightning strikes. Region 21 has experienced damages as a result of severe thunderstorms, specifically related to hail on crops. Once hail reaches quarter size, individuals in the community become very concerned about impacts to crops. Region 21 has a number of vulnerable populations which would require additional support in a thunderstorm event, including the hospital and nursing homes in Bridgeport and Oshkosh. To prevent lasting impacts as a result of severe thunderstorms, the emergency management region intends to emphasize backup generators and notification systems to improve awareness of hazard events. Recently, Region 21 Emergency Management provided weather radios to each office in the Morrill County Courthouse to encourage awareness of hazard events, the emergency manager intends to outfit the Morrill County courthouse next with weather radios. The emergency management region was also able to provide a backup generator to the Bridgeport Sherriff s office, to prevent any sort of prolonged power outages. Severe Winter Storms The Local Planning Team indicated that severe winter storms are a top concern for the region. Based on the characteristics of the region, the Local Planning Team is most concerned about rural residents, especially those who may lose access to power or safe transportation. The entire planning area experiences a winter storm annually, but significant years included the winter of 2011/2012, which included short term road closures. Presently, little is done for mitigation techniques of severe winter storms to prevent lasting impacts. Typically, current snow removal resources are sufficient for most events. According to the local planning team, it takes about 10 of snow to exhaust local resources. In cases where local resources are completely exhausted, additional assistance is available from the Nebraska Department of Roads, Scottsbluff Public Works, and Bridgeport may be able to help clear unincorporated areas of the county. The southern half of Region 21 Emergency Management is occupied by the South Platte NRD, which works to utilize living snow fences whenever possible. Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

9 Tornados The Local Planning Team indicated that tornados are a top concern for the region. While the entire planning area is equally prone to a tornado event, each jurisdiction has unique characteristics which make them uniquely vulnerable to a tornado event. Region 21 Emergency Management has not received any damages as a result of a tornado in the last four years, while there have been plenty of close calls. Based on land use, the vast majority of the emergency management region is dedicated to agriculture, meaning that the risk for injury/loss of life is relatively low, compared to other more urban areas. The Local Planning Team estimates that about 50% of homeowners have basements to seek refuge in a tornado event. Region 21 has a number of highly vulnerable populations which the Local Planning Team would be concerned about should they experience a tornado event, specifically nursing homes and hospitals. To improve awareness of tornado events, Region 21 is currently working to obtain a new tornado siren for Broadwater, NE. The Emergency Management Region encourages the testing of tornado sirens once a week, GOVERNANCE Region 21 is a subunit of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The Region 21 Emergency Management agency is run by the Office of Emergency Manager, and his four deputy emergency managers. Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

10 CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT The capability assessment consisted of two main components: a Capability Assessment Survey completed by the jurisdiction and a review of local existing policies, regulations, plans, and the programs. The survey is used to gather information regarding the jurisdiction s planning and regulatory capability; administrative and technical capability; fiscal capability; and educational and outreach capability. Table XX.15: Capability Assessment Survey Components/Subcomponents Comments Planning & Regulatory Capability Administrative & Technical Capability Fiscal Capability Comprehensive Plan Capital Improvements Plan Hazard Mitigation Plan Economic Development Plan Emergency Operational Plan Natural Resources Protection Plan Open Space Preservation plan Floodplain Management Plan Storm Water Management Plan Zoning Ordinance Subdivision Regulation/Ordinance Floodplain Ordinance Building Codes National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System Other (if any) Planning Commission Hazard Mitigation Planning Commission Floodplain Administration Emergency Manager GIS Coordinator Chief Building Official Civil Engineering Staff Who Can Assess Community s Vulnerability to Hazards Grant Manager Other (if any) Capital Improvement Project Funding Community Development Block Grant Authority to Levy Taxes for Specific Purposes Gas/Electric Service Fees Storm Water Service Fees Water/Sewer Service Fees Development Impact Fees General Obligation Revenue or Special Tax Bonds Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

11 Survey Components/Subcomponents Comments Education & Outreach Capability Other (if any) Local citizen groups or non-profit organizations focused on environmental protection, emergency preparedness, access and functional needs populations, etc. Ongoing public education or information program (e.g., responsible water use, fire safety, household preparedness, environmental education) Natural Disaster or Safety related school programs StormReady Certification All of Region 21 Firewise Communities Certification Public-private partnership initiatives addressing disaster-related issues Other (if any) Region 21 CERT has 21 members at this time and growing. Region 21 has been working with the Sidney Fire Department PLAN INTEGRATION Building safe and stronger communities can be accomplished through effective Plan integration. Integrating hazard mitigation principles into other local planning mechanisms, such as plans addressing land use, transportation, climate change, sustainability, natural and cultural resource protection, watershed management, economic development and others can greatly increase an area s level of resiliency. While this HMP planning process involved interdepartmental coordination at the local level, this planning process also sought to analyze how existing planning mechanisms were presently integrated and make suggestions for further integration. The plans listed in the preceding table were analyzed using guidance from FEMA s 2014 Plan Integration Guide. The following paragraph presents a summary of the findings of this analysis. Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January

12 MITIGATION STRATEGY Completed Mitigation Actions Weather Radios Description Obtain weather radios for all offices in the Morrill County Courthouse. Goal/ Objective Goal 4, Objective 4.3 Hazard(s) Addressed All Hazards Status Complete Estimated Cost $1,000 Funding Region 21 Emergency Management Timeline 1 year Priority High Lead Agency Region 21 Emergency Management Locations Morrill County Courthouse Ongoing and New Mitigation Actions Alert Sirens Description Installed a warning siren in Lisco, NE, and will continue to update. Goal/ Objective Goal Hazard(s) Addressed All Hazards Status Complete, will continue to update Estimated Cost $24,000 Funding Grant and Local Share Timeline 2-5 years Priority Medium Lead Agency Region 21 Emergency Management Locations Lisco, NE Emergency Management Exercise Description Develop and facilitate an exercise to identify gaps in planning and to ensure that community response plans are sufficient to meet the needs of the jurisdiction. Goal/ Objective Goal 3, Objective 3.1 Hazard(s) Addressed All hazards Status Ongoing Estimated Cost $500 Funding Region 21 Emergency Management Timeline 2-5 years Priority Medium Lead Agency Region 21 Emergency Management Locations N/A Removed Mitigation Actions While Region 21 Emergency Management was a participant in the 2011 North Platte Natural Resource District Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, no mitigation actions were defined, thus, no mitigation actions were removed. Region 21 Emergency Management Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update January