Town of Auburn, New Hampshire Hazard Mitigation Plan Executive Summary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TOWN OF AUBURN, NEW HAMPSHIRE Town of Auburn, New Hampshire, Town Offices HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN 2018 TOWN OF AUBURN NEW HAMPSHIRE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN October 2018 Prepared for the Town of Auburn, NH, NH Homeland Security & Emergency Management (NHHSEM) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission with assistance from the Auburn Hazard Mitigation Committee October, 2018 October 22, 2018 Public Hearing Date October 22, 2018 Adoption Date Final Plan Acknowledgements Southern NH Planning Commission and the Town of Auburn wish to thank the following individuals for serving on the Town’s Hazard Mitigation Committee and for their assistance in the development of this Plan: Acknowledgements Appreciation is extended to the following people for contributing their time and effort to complete the Auburn Hazard Mitigation Plan: 2016-2018 Auburn Hazard Mitigation Committee Members Edward Gannon Fire Chief/Emergency Director, Town of Auburn, Chair Lori Collins Principal, Auburn Village School Lillian Deeb Police, Town of Auburn Mike Dross Road Agent, Town of Auburn Bill Herman Town Administrator, Town of Auburn Ray Pelton Police Chief, Town of Auburn Carrie Rouleau-Cote Building Inspector, Town of Auburn Denise Royce Planning/Land Use Administrator, Town of Auburn Jim Scalnier Fire Inspector, Town of Auburn Madeline DiIonno Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Cameron Prolman Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Derek Shooster Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Zachary Swick Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Sylvia von Aulock Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Thanks also to: • The New Hampshire Department of Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NH HSEM), which developed the New Hampshire Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan; • The Southwest Region Planning Commission, which developed Hazard Mitigation Planning for New Hampshire Communities; and • The Bedford, Chester, Derry, Goffstown, Hooksett, Manchester, New Boston, and Weare Hazard Mitigation Committees and their respective Hazard Mitigation Plans. All the above publications served as models for this plan. "We will of course be there to help after disaster strikes, but as you all know, there’s no substitute for mitigation before it does.... As a poet once wrote, "the test of men lies in action." We as emergency managers and first responders cannot afford to wait for action…. Through planning, mitigation, education, and cooperation, we can make sure our at-risk communities are prepared before the first drop of rain or gust of wind ever threatens our shores." —Joe Allbaugh, Director of FEMA, Addressing the 2002 National Hurricane Conference The preparation of this document has been financed in part by a grant from the State of New Hampshire Department of Safety, Divison of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. i Preface Hazard mitigation planning is a relatively new field, spearheaded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during the 1990s after Hurricane Andrew caused more than $20 billion in damage across several southern states. That event resulted in 54 fatalities and the disruption of millions of lives. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, developed by FEMA, was intended to help both communities and states prepare for, and deal with, such disasters. While New England normally does not have hurricanes of Andrew’s magnitude, this area does experience many types of natural disasters that cost both lives and money. These disasters and other natural hazards occur during all four seasons in the Northeast: winter ice, snow, and nor’easters; spring flooding; summer downbursts and thunderstorms; and fall hurricanes. Planning to make a community disaster-resistant before these events occur can help save lives as well as homes and infrastructure. FEMA has several programs designed to strengthen the nation’s disaster resistance by reducing risks and changing conditions and behaviors before a disaster in order to protect lives and prevent the loss of property. FEMA has also raised its budget to upgrade the existing Flood Insurance Rate Maps through the Map Modernization project. Many communities have outdated maps that do not reflect the true extent of flooding potential. A community’s eligibility for hazard mitigation funding depends upon its having adopted a hazard mitigation plan that addresses these issues. Mitigation measures contained within the Auburn Hazard Mitigation Plan may be sufficient to receive grant funding. It is hoped that this document will be a good first step toward analyzing hazards in Auburn, forecasting where potential disasters might occur, and reducing their impact on people and the community. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... i Preface ....................................................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ vii I. INTRODUCTION Natural Hazards and Their Consequences ................................................................. 1 What Is Hazard Mitigation? .............................................................................................. 2 Why Develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan? .................................................................... 2 Benefits of Hazard Mitigation .......................................................................................... 3 Background: Auburn Hazard Mitigation Planning .................................................. 3 Purpose ....................................................................................................................... 3 Authority ..................................................................................................................... 3 Scope of the Plan .................................................................................................... 4 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 4 Public Committee Meetings ............................................................................... 4 Coordination with Other Agencies and Individuals ................................. 5 Existing Auburn Emergency Management Plan ....................................................... 6 State of New Hampshire Legislation Related to Master Plans ........................... 6 Plan Development Steps 1-10 ......................................................................................... 7 Hazard Mitigation Goals for the Town of Auburn ................................................. 10 II. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION Location, Population, Topography, and Climate ................................................... 12 Current Land Use Development Trends in Auburn ............................................... 14 National Flood Insurance Program ............................................................................. 15 Past and Potential Hazards ............................................................................................. 19 A. Flooding........................................................................................................................... 19 1. Riverine flooding ................................................................................................... 19 2. Hurricanes ................................................................................................................ 20 3. Debris-impacted infrastructure and river ice jams .................................. 21 4. Erosion and mudslides ....................................................................................... 22 5. Rapid snow pack melt ......................................................................................... 22 6. Dam breach or failure ......................................................................................... 23 B. Wind .................................................................................................................................. 24 1. Hurricanes ................................................................................................................ 24 2. Tornadoes ................................................................................................................ 24 3. Nor’easters .............................................................................................................. 25 4. Downbursts ............................................................................................................. 27 5. Lightning .................................................................................................................. 27 iii Table of Contents (continued) C. Fire ..................................................................................................................................... 28 1. Wild land fires ........................................................................................................ 28 2. Target hazards ....................................................................................................... 29 3. Isolated homes ...................................................................................................... 30 D. Ice and Snow Events ..................................................................................................