DOCSLIB.ORG

Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Scituate, Massachusetts

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Scituate, Massachusetts Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Scituate, Massachusetts AUGUST 2, 2016 PREPARED BY N atural H azard M itigation Plan Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Scituate M assachusetts Pr epar ed for The Town Scituate 600 Chief Justi ce Cushi ng H ighw ay Scituate, M A 02066 Pr epar ed by The Scituate Hazard Mitigation Committee A ssi st ed by VHB/ Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. 101 Walnut Street Watertow n, M A 02472 August 2, 2016 Acknowledgements Charlie Baker Governor Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Kurt N. Schwartz, Director Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Leo P. Roy, Commissioner Town of Scituate Board of Selectmen Martin J. O’Toole, Chairman Anthony V. Vegnani, Vice Chairman Maura C. Curran, Clerk John F. Danehey Shawn Harris Town Administrator Patricia A. Vinchesi Hazard Mitigation Committee Kevin Cafferty, DPW Director Neil Duggan Building Commissioner Nancy Durfee, Coastal Resource Officer Alfred Elliot, Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Gallivan, Natural Resource and Conservation Officer Laura Harbottle, AICP, Town Planner Nancy Holt, Finance Director Jennifer Keefe, Director of Public Health John Murphy, Fire Chief and Emergency Manager W. Michael Stewart, Police Chief Robert Vogel, Local Building Inspector i Table of Contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................. 1 Adoption Documentation ................................................................................................................ 4 1.0 Background ............................................................................................. 5 1.1 Introduction to Hazard Mitigation ............................................................................... 5 1.2 Community Planning Area ......................................................................................... 7 1.2.1 Location Information & Geography ................................................................ 7 1.2.2 Demographics/Census ................................................................................... 8 1.2.3 Land Use and Infrastructure ........................................................................... 8 1.2.4 Community Development & Development Trends ......................................... 9 1.2.5 Historic and Natural Resource/Environmental Significance ......................... 11 1.2.6 Commerce, Industry, Academic ................................................................... 12 1.2.7 NFIP, CRS Community (highlights) .............................................................. 13 1.3 Significant Events .................................................................................................... 13 2.0 Planning Process .................................................................................... 16 2.1 Purpose, Overview and Background ....................................................................... 16 2.2 Building Support: Community Involvement, Roles & Responsibilities ..................... 17 2.2.1 Stakeholders ................................................................................................ 17 2.2.2 Public ........................................................................................................... 17 2.2.3 Neighboring Communities ............................................................................ 19 2.3 Understanding the Community’s Risks .................................................................... 19 2.4 Developing & Updating the Mitigation Strategy ....................................................... 20 2.4.1 Identification & Review of Goals, Actions, Priorities, Changes Progress ..... 20 2.5 Brining the Plan to Life: Implementation & Maintenance ......................................... 21 2.5.1 Monitoring .................................................................................................... 21 2.5.2 Evaluation .................................................................................................... 21 2.5.3 Updates ........................................................................................................ 22 3.0 Risk Assessment..................................................................................... 23 3.1 Defining Risk & Methodology ................................................................................... 23 3.2 Hazards .................................................................................................................... 23 3.2.1 Hazard Identification .................................................................................... 24 3.2.2 Hazard Profiles ............................................................................................. 26 3.2.3 Climate Change ........................................................................................... 48 3.3 Vulnerability ............................................................................................................. 48 3.3.1 Community Assets ....................................................................................... 49 3.4 Risk Analysis and Assessment ................................................................................ 55 3.4.1 Methodology ................................................................................................... 55 ii Table of Contents 3.4.2 Exposure Analysis .......................................................................................... 56 3.4.3 Historical Analysis ........................................................................................... 56 3.4.4 Vulnerability Summary .................................................................................... 57 3.4.5 Risk Assessment Matrix .................................................................................. 63 4.0 Capability Assessment .................................................................................. 64 4.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 64 4.2 Types and Evaluation of Capabilities ................................................................................. 64 4.2.1 Local Government and Program Areas .......................................................... 66 5.0 Mitigation Strategy....................................................................................... 77 5.1 Vision and Goals ................................................................................................................ 77 5.2 Existing Mitigation Actions ................................................................................................. 78 5.3 Update of the Mitigation Strategy and Actions ................................................................... 88 5.4 Prioritization ....................................................................................................................... 89 5.4.1 STAPLEE ........................................................................................................ 91 5.5 Mitigation Actions ............................................................................................................... 92 6.0 Moving Towards a Safe, Resilient, and Sustainable Community ..................... 99 6.1 Evaluation: Progress and Challenges ............................................................................... 99 References ....................................................................................................... 101 Appendix A: Assessing Risk – Maps ................................................................... 103 Appendix B: HAZUS- MH Hurricane Event Report .............................................. 112 Appendix C: Public Outreach ............................................................................ 120 Appendix D: Technical and Financial Assistance for Mitigation .......................... 127 Appendix E: Glossary ........................................................................................ 130 Appendix F: FEMA Letter of Approval ............................................................... 135 Final Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool ............................................................ 135 iii Table of Contents Executive Summary PURPOSE: The purpose of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan update is to identify local policies and actions that can be implemented to have long term impacts to reduce risk and future losses from hazards. These mitigation policies and actions are identified based on an assessment of hazards, vulnerabilities, and risks and the participation of a wide range of stakeholders and the public in the planning process. Hazard Mitigation is a sustained action taken to permanently reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and their property from the effect of natural hazards. Mitigation actions help safeguard personal and public safety, and can significantly reduce the impact of future disasters. Pre-disaster planning and investment in preventative measures can significantly reduce the cost of tomorrow’s post-disaster recovery and help post-disaster operations become more efficient. By planning ahead, Scituate minimizes the economic and social disruption that results from natural hazards including floods, severe weather and hurricanes which can result in the destruction of property, loss or interruption of jobs, loss of business and loss of life. Mitigation strategies include a mix of physical initiatives to limit the impacts of natural hazards,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Massachusetts Commercial Fishing Port Profiles
    MASSACHUSETTS COMMERCIAL FISHING PORT PROFILES The Massachusetts Commercial Fishing Port Profiles were developed through a collaboration between the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Urban Harbors Institute, and the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. Using data from commercial regional permits, the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program’s (ACCSP) Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information System (SAFIS) Dealer Database, and harbormaster and fishermen surveys, these profiles provide an overview of the commercial fishing activity and infrastructure within each municipality. The Port Profiles are part of a larger report which describes the status of the Commonwealth’s commercial fishing and port infrastructure, as well as how profile data can inform policy, programming, funding, infrastructure improvements, and other important industry- related decisions. For the full report, visit the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries website. Key Terms: Permitted Harvesters: Commercially permitted harvesters residing in the municipality Vessels: Commercially permitted vessels with the municipality listed as the homeport Trips: Discrete commercial trips unloading fish or shellfish in this municipality Active Permitted Harvesters: Commercially permitted harvesters with at least one reported trans- action in a given year Active Dealers: Permitted dealers with at least one reported purchase from a harvester in a given year Ex-Vessel Value: Total amount ($) paid directly to permitted harvesters by dealers at the first point of sale file Port Port SCITUATE Pro Located on the South Shore, Scituate has three harbors: Scituate, North River, and South River- Humarock. Permitted commercial fisheries, which may or may not be active during the survey period, include: Lobster Pot, Dragger, Gillnetter, Clam Dredge, Scallop Dredge, Rod & Reel, For Hire/ Charter.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Michael Graikoski and Porter Hoagland1 I. Introduction Along The
    COMPARING POLICIES FOR ENCOURAGING RETREAT FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST Michael Graikoski and Porter Hoagland1 I. Introduction Along the US Atlantic coast, the lands and infrastructure located on barrier islands and beaches and in backbay estuarine environments face mounting threats from king tides, storm surges, and sea-level rise.2 From the late 19th century to the present, sea-level rise on the United States’ Atlantic coast has been more rapid than any other century-scale increase over the last 2000 years.3 Even slight increases in sea-level rise now have been hypothesized to significantly increase the risks of coastal flooding in many places.4 In New England, some of the most severe northeast storms (“nor’easters”) have become notorious for consequent extreme losses of coastal properties. Some 1 Michael Graikoski, Guest Student, Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution & Porter Hoagland, Senior Research Specialist, Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This article was prepared under award number NA10OAR4170083 (WHOI Sea Grant Omnibus) from the US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Northeast Regional Sea Grant Consortium project 2014-R/P-NERR- 14-1-REG); award number AGS-1518503 from the US National Science Foundation (Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems [CNH]); award number OCE-1333826 from the US National Science Foundation (Science and Engineering for Sustainability [SEES]) to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science; and with support from the J. Seward Johnson Fund in Support of the Marine Policy Center. The authors thank Chris Hein, John Duff, Di Jin, Peter Rosen, Andy Fallon, Billy Phalen, and Sarah Ertle for helpful insights and suggestions and Jun Qiu for help with the map of Plum Island in Figure 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Vision for Scituate's Coast in 2070
    AUGUST 2020 A Vision for Scituate’s Coast in 2070 1 APhoto Vision courtesy for Scituate’sof Theresa O’Connor, Coast in Flickr. 2070 | August 2020 Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................... 2 Ten-year Action Plan ................................................... 36 Acknowledgments ......................................................... 3 Priorities and Wrestling With Trade-offs to Achieve a Resilient Future .................................... 37 Executive Summary ..................................... 4 Overarching Considerations ...................................... 37 Key components of the community’s vision Impermanence ........................................................ 37 for Scituate’s coast in 2070 ......................................... 6 Coastal Connectivity .............................................. 38 The Vision: A Vibrant and Prioritizing Beaches ............................................... 38 Resilient Coast .............................................. 8 The Harbor ................................................................ 41 Coastal Risks .............................................. 12 Zoning ....................................................................... 42 Utilities ...................................................................... 42 Issues to Plan For .......................................................... 14 Managed Retreat .................................................... 43 Beach Erosion .........................................................
    [Show full text]
  • NSRWA October 01 Newsletter
    RiverWaAptril 200c8 h therivershed.org THE NORTH AND SOUTH RIVERS WATERSHED ASSOCIATION, INC. Looking Back and Looking Forward nnual report time is a great time to take stock of NSRWA’s many ac- complishments during 2007. With a small staff, a cadre of loyal volun- Here are some resolutions from some of teers, and an active, engaged board, we were able to see many projects our more prominent watershed citizens: come to fruition and many goals fulfilled. Some highlights: Kezia Bacon Bernstein, Mari- A• The opening of 50 more acres of clam flats in the North River; ner Newspapers Correspon- • The completion of an interactive Herring Kiosk for display at area libraries; dent - “This year I am trying to • Started the process for designation of a No Discharge Zone for the coastal waters be more vigilant about reducing of Marshfield, Scituate and Cohasset - including the North and South Rivers; and my use of plastic grocery bags. I • Successfully advocated for a condition to be placed on Scituate’s Water keep a mesh shopping bag in my Withdrawal Permit that requires the town to investigate restoring flows to sup- car at all times, and bring mesh port the herring run on First Herring Brook. and canvas bags along with me to the grocery store. The next step will be to use We added new events like our Cranberry Harvest Walk, the North to South these reusable shopping bags in places other than River Paddle, and Rivershed Jeopardy; saw signs installed to denote the Third Her- the grocery store.” ring Brook; installed more rain gardens in the watershed and on the South Shore; and continued to provide input on local and state permit processes for decreasing Representative Frank Hynes, impacts to the watershed from significant development projects.
    [Show full text]
  • A Vision for Scituate's Coast in 2070
    A Vision for Scituate’s Coast in 2070 Draft for public review - July 2, 2020 1 DRAFT: Scituate 2070 Vision Table of Contents Acknowledgements 4 Executive Summary 5 The Vision: A Vibrant and Resilient Coast 7 Coastal Risks 11 Issues to Plan For 11 Beach erosion 11 Storm Impacts 14 Sea Level Rise 16 Property Damage 18 Critical Infrastructure 20 Implementation Considerations 21 Understand Resilience Strategies 22 Accommodate 22 Defend 23 Move 25 No intervention 26 Review and build on existing studies/plans 27 Ten-year action plan 29 Priorities and wrestling with trade-offs to achieve a resilient future 29 Impermanence 30 Coastal Connectivity 30 Prioritizing beaches 30 Community Support 31 Funding 32 Regulations 32 The Harbor 33 Zoning 34 Utilities 35 Managed Retreat 35 Coastal Community Character 36 Appendices 38 2 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT JULY 2020 Appendix A: Glossary of key terms 38 Appendix B: Community Engagement Process 39 Appendix C: Relevant land use regulations from other municipalities 44 3 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT JULY 2020 Acknowledgements Thank you to all Scituate residents who participated in this process and shared their input in any form to help shape this vision, particularly those who opened their homes to host and invited friends to a Neighborhood Gathering. Thank you to the Scituate Coastal Advisory Commission, especially the Chair, Louise Pfund Villani, for providing key insights and on-the-ground partnership to spread the word about the vision process through the Commission’s networks. This vision is the result of the shared efforts of a large project team: Kyle Boyd, the Town of Scituate Coastal Management Officer; John Ramsey, Principal Coastal Engineer and Morgan Simms, Coastal Scientist of Applied Coastal Research and Engineering; Josh Fiala, Principal Planner and Darci Schofield, Senior Environmental Planner of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council; Barbara Landau, Noble, Wickersham and Heart, LLP.
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricane & Tropical Storm
    5.8 HURRICANE & TROPICAL STORM SECTION 5.8 HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM 5.8.1 HAZARD DESCRIPTION A tropical cyclone is a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or sub-tropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation. Tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes are all considered tropical cyclones. These storms rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere around the center and are accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds (NOAA, 2013). Almost all tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin (which includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea) form between June 1 and November 30 (hurricane season). August and September are peak months for hurricane development. The average wind speeds for tropical storms and hurricanes are listed below: . A tropical depression has a maximum sustained wind speeds of 38 miles per hour (mph) or less . A tropical storm has maximum sustained wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph . A hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 74 mph or higher. In the western North Pacific, hurricanes are called typhoons; similar storms in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean are called cyclones. A major hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 111 mph or higher (NOAA, 2013). Over a two-year period, the United States coastline is struck by an average of three hurricanes, one of which is classified as a major hurricane. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions may pose a threat to life and property. These storms bring heavy rain, storm surge and flooding (NOAA, 2013). The cooler waters off the coast of New Jersey can serve to diminish the energy of storms that have traveled up the eastern seaboard.
    [Show full text]
  • MDPH Beaches Annual Report 2008
    Marine and Freshwater Beach Testing in Massachusetts Annual Report: 2008 Season Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Environmental Health Environmental Toxicology Program http://www.mass.gov/dph/topics/beaches.htm July 2009 PART ONE: THE MDPH/BEH BEACHES PROJECT 3 I. Overview ......................................................................................................5 II. Background ..................................................................................................6 A. Beach Water Quality & Health: the need for testing......................................................... 6 B. Establishment of the MDPH/BEHP Beaches Project ....................................................... 6 III. Beach Water Quality Monitoring...................................................................8 A. Sample collection..............................................................................................................8 B. Sample analysis................................................................................................................9 1. The MDPH contract laboratory program ...................................................................... 9 2. The use of indicators .................................................................................................... 9 3. Enterococci................................................................................................................... 10 4. E. coli...........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Marine and Freshwater Beach Testing in Massachusetts Annual Report
    Marine and Freshwater Beach Testing in Massachusetts Annual Report: 2015 Season Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Environmental Health Environmental Toxicology Program http://www.mass.gov/dph/beaches May 2016 PART ONE: THE MDPH/BEH BEACHES PROJECT 4 I. Overview .......................................................................................................... 5 II. Background ...................................................................................................... 5 A. Beach Water Quality & Health: The Need for Testing ...................................................... 5 B. Establishment of the MDPH/BEH Beaches Project .......................................................... 6 III. Beach Water Quality Monitoring ....................................................................... 7 A. Sample collection .............................................................................................................. 7 B. Sample analysis ................................................................................................................ 7 1. The MDPH contract laboratory program .................................................................... 7 2. The use of indicators .................................................................................................. 7 3. Enterococci ................................................................................................................. 8 4. E. coli .........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Sustaining Category Five Hurricane Intensity by Greg Machos
    Sustaining Category Five Hurricane Intensity By Greg Machos Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere Dr. Alan Robock November 20, 2003 Sustaining Category Five Hurricane Intensity 2 Abstract Category Five Hurricanes are a rare phenomenon in nature. Of all the hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, these extremely intense storms only account for less than five percent. Nevertheless, they represent a hurricane in its most perfect form with winds exceeding 69 ms-1, a very clear and narrow eye, excellent outflow, or exhaust, and an organized mass of clouds encompassing the eye called the central dense overcast. Fortunately for those living along the coastal regions of the United States, Category Five Hurricanes are unable to maintain this intensity for very long due to internal changes from within the system such as eyewall replacement, and changes external to the system from its surrounding environment such as cooler sea surface temperatures, dry air intrusion, and moderate to high upper level wind shear. These internal and external changes disturb the highly efficient, yet delicate heat engine of such an extremely powerful storm just enough so that it becomes unstable and cause things like concentric eyewalls or lower temperature gradients between the ocean surface below the hurricane and the high cloud tops at the height of the hurricane to occur. Consequently, the duration of Category Five Hurricane intensity is usually brief. Sustaining Category Five Hurricane Intensity 3 Introduction A hurricane is one of the most fascinating phenomena in nature. Viewed from space, a mature hurricane can be absolutely breathtaking with its well-defined eye, distinct outflow, and highly organized central dense overcast.
    [Show full text]
  • MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO Diploma Thesis
    MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO FACULTY OF EDUCATION Diploma thesis Brno 2018 Supervisor: Author: doc. Mgr. Martin Adam, Ph.D. Bc. Lukáš Opavský MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Presentation Sentences in Wikipedia: FSP Analysis Diploma thesis Brno 2018 Supervisor: Author: doc. Mgr. Martin Adam, Ph.D. Bc. Lukáš Opavský Declaration I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. I agree with the placing of this thesis in the library of the Faculty of Education at the Masaryk University and with the access for academic purposes. Brno, 30th March 2018 …………………………………………. Bc. Lukáš Opavský Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, doc. Mgr. Martin Adam, Ph.D. for his kind help and constant guidance throughout my work. Bc. Lukáš Opavský OPAVSKÝ, Lukáš. Presentation Sentences in Wikipedia: FSP Analysis; Diploma Thesis. Brno: Masaryk University, Faculty of Education, English Language and Literature Department, 2018. XX p. Supervisor: doc. Mgr. Martin Adam, Ph.D. Annotation The purpose of this thesis is an analysis of a corpus comprising of opening sentences of articles collected from the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. Four different quality categories from Wikipedia were chosen, from the total amount of eight, to ensure gathering of a representative sample, for each category there are fifty sentences, the total amount of the sentences altogether is, therefore, two hundred. The sentences will be analysed according to the Firabsian theory of functional sentence perspective in order to discriminate differences both between the quality categories and also within the categories.
    [Show full text]
  • 1990 Newsletters
    ll O '1' “ '\ - P.Q ll) SCITUATE, MA. 02056 BULLETIN" F'F;RMlT NO. 23 VOLUME XL111 SCITUATE, MASSACHUSETTS NUMBER 2 - ~ , JANUARY 27, 1990 Throuoh its bulletin, the Fociety attempts to keep alive the history and tradi- tions of ¢ld fcituate. rticles of interest or historic value are always welcome. Send to 121 "anle Street. Fcituate. Massachusetts 02066. ' ' 9 lEQEIE§I.£FEP!§§FE£I i ' do are happy to announce that our first 1990 dinner reetino has been planned. It will take place on Saturday, January 27th at the Harbor "ethodist Church, 55 First Parish Road, Scituate Harbor. A roast turkey dinner with homemade pie of your choice. catered by the ladies of the church. will he served at 6:30 sharp. Reservations are required and the first 200 requests for them, received with check will be honored. PESERVE EPRLY to avoid disanpointnent. Checks should be made payable to the Scituate Historical Society. Peservations will be confirned at the door. ttached you will find a reservation reouest. Detach, fill out and send with check or cash to the Little Red School House to the address shown. Peservations are $7.00 per person. _ EEQQEEE "new EPGLAND'S MOST nvsrsntovs MPPITIME DISASTER" " a '.', . .- , n 0n January 27th rnold Carr and John Fish will present a slide-illustrated talk on researchino and discovering the p§dl€.SIeaP€M?POPt]d0€ which sank on Rovemter 26, 1898 with 160 passengers and crew on hoard. John Fish, a Marine Biologist and Pcean-' ooraphic Engineer. President of Qceanstar Systers, Director of Historical Maritime Group of New Enpland, specializes in researchino location of historic ships.
    [Show full text]
  • Criteria for a Standard Project Northeaster for New England North of Cape Cod
    •V-'v';J nagyiwraH ^r—— .Al 3°) PflSt r„y REPORT NO. 68 Criteria for a Standard Project Northeaster for New England North of Cape Cod • •• U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Luther H. Hodges, Secretary WEATHER BUREAU Robert M. White, Chief • NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT NO. 68 Criteria for a Standard Project Northeaster for New England North of Cape Cod by Kendall R. Peterson, Hugo V. Goodyear, and Staff Hydrometeorological Section, Hydrologic Services Division, Washington, D. C. Washington, D. C. UlfiMOl DbDIHSb March 1964 NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH PROJECT REPORTS Reports by Weather Bureau units, contractors, and cooperators working on the hurricane problem are preprinted in this series to facilitate immediate distribution of the information among the workers and other interested units. As this limited reproduction and distribution in this form do not constitute formal scientific publication, reference to a paper in the series should identify it as a preprinted report. No. 1. Objectives and basic design of the NHRP. March 1936. No. 2. Numerical weather prediction of hurricane motion. July 1956. Supplement: Error analysis of prognostic 300-mb. maps made for numerical weather prediction of hurricane motion. March 1937. No. 3« Rainfall associated with hurricanes. July 1956. No. U. Some problems involved in the study of storm surges. December 1936. No. 3* Survey of meteorological factors pertinent to reduction of loss of life and property in hurricane situations. March 1937. No. 6. A mean atmosphere for the West Indies area. May 1937* No. 7. An index of tide' gages and tide gage records for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States.
    [Show full text]