Jefferson County
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Jefferson County Prepared for: Culver, Madras, and Metolius Photos: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives Jefferson County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Report for: Jefferson County, Oregon And the Cities of Culver, Madras, and Metolius Prepared by: Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience 1209 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403 September, 2008 Special Thanks & Acknowledgements This Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed through a regional partnership funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Pre- Disaster Mitigation Competitive Grant Program. The Southeast Oregon Region grant was awarded to support the development of natural hazard mitigation plans for the region. The region’s planning process utilized a four-phased planning process, plan templates and plan development support provided by the Partnership for Disaster Resilience at the University of Oregon. Regional partners include: • Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience at the University of Oregon’s Community Service Center • Oregon Emergency Management • Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region X • Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Project Steering Committee: • Jefferson County Community Development Department • Jefferson County Public Works Department • Crooked River Ranch Homeowners Association • Central Electric Cooperative • Warm Springs Tribe • Federal Grasslands • 509J School District • US Forest Service • Fire Department Agencies from Crooked River Ranch, Three Rivers, and the County • City of Culver • City of Metolius • City of Madras Project Managers: • Margaret Boutell, Jefferson County Community Development Department • Gregoor Passchier, Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience • Megan Findley, Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience Community Service Center Staff: Andre LeDuc, Director, Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience Krista Dillon, Associate Director, Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience Megan Findley, Program Manager, Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience Gregoor Passchier, Graduate Research Intern, Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience Jefferson County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Table of Contents Volume I: Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Executive Summary…………………………………………………….. .i Section 1: Introduction………………………………………………..1-1 Section 2: Community Overview…………………………………….2-1 Section 3: Mission, Goals, and Action Items………………………3-1 Section 4: Plan Implementation and Maintenance………………..4-1 Volume II: Hazard Annexes Drought………………………………………………………………….DR-1 Earthquake……………………………………………………………..EQ-1 Flood……………………………………………………………………..FL-1 Landslide………………………………………………………………..LS-1 Volcanic Eruption……………………………………………………..VE-1 Wildfire………………………………………………………………….WF-1 Wind Storm……………………………………………………………..WI-1 Winter Storm …………………………………………………………..WS-1 Volume III: City/Special District Addendums Culver..………………………………………………………………………1 Madras.………………………………………………………………………1 Metolius...……………………………………………………………………1 Volume IV: Mitigation Resources Appendix A: Action Item Forms……………………………………...A-1 Appendix B: Planning and Public Process………………………...B-1 Appendix C: Economic Analysis of Natural Hazard Mitigation Projects……………….…C-1 Appendix D: Regional Household Preparedness Survey………..E-1 Executive Summary Jefferson County developed this multi-jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan in an effort to reduce future loss of life and damage to property resulting from natural hazards. This plan was developed with and for the following jurisdictions: Jefferson County, Culver, Madras, and Metolius. It is impossible to predict exactly when these hazards will occur, or the extent to which they will affect the community. However, with careful planning and collaboration among public agencies, private sector organizations, and citizens within the community, it is possible to minimize the losses that can result from natural hazards. Natural hazard mitigation is defined as a method of permanently reducing or alleviating the losses of life, property, and injuries resulting from natural hazards through long and short-term strategies. Example strategies include policy changes, such as updated ordinances, projects, such as seismic retrofits to critical facilities; and education and outreach to targeted audiences, such as Spanish speaking residents or the elderly. Natural hazard mitigation is the responsibility of individuals, private businesses and industries, state and local governments, and the federal government. Why Develop this Mitigation Plan? This natural hazard mitigation plan is intended to assist Jefferson County, Culver, Madras, and Metolius in reducing the risk from natural hazards by identifying resources, information, and strategies for risk reduction. It will also help guide and coordinate mitigation activities throughout the County. The figure below is utilized throughout the plan to illustrate the concept of risk reduction. Jefferson County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan September 2008 Page i Figure i.1 Understanding Risk Source: USGS-Partnership for Disaster Resilience Research Collaborative, 2006 A natural hazard mitigation plan can assist jurisdictions in understanding what puts the community at risk. By identifying and understanding the relationship between natural hazards, vulnerable systems, and existing capacity, communities in Jefferson County become better equipped to identify and implement actions aimed at reducing the overall risk to natural hazards. Who Participated in Developing the Plan? In Fall 2005, the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (Partnership / OPDR) at the University of Oregon’s Community Service Center partnered with the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) and the Southeast Oregon Region (Harney and Malheur as well as Jefferson and Lake) counties to develop a Pre-Disaster Mitigation Planning Grant proposal. Each county joined the Partnership for Disaster Resistance and Resilience (The Partnership) by signing (through their County Commissions) a Memorandum of Understanding for this project. FEMA awarded the Southeast Oregon Region a grant to support the development of the natural hazard mitigation plans for the four counties in the region. OPDR, DOGAMI, and the participating communities were awarded the grant in the Fall of 2005 and local planning efforts in this region began in the Fall of 2006. Jefferson County began its local planning process in September, 2007. Page ii September 2008 Jefferson County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan The Jefferson County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan is the result of a collaborative effort between the County, cities, special districts, citizens, public agencies, non-profit organizations, the private sector and regional organizations. A project steering committee guided the plan development process, and OPDR developed, facilitated, and led the overall planning process. OPDR additionally drafted Jefferson County’s final Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan. The steering committee was comprised of representatives from the following organizations. • Jefferson County Community Development Department • Jefferson County Public Works Department • Crooked River Ranch Homeowners Association • Central Electric Cooperative • Warm Springs Tribe • Federal Grasslands • 509J School District • US Forest Service • Fire Department Agencies from Crooked River Ranch, Three Rivers, and the County • City of Culver • City of Metolius • City of Madras The Jefferson County Community Development Department was designated as the plan’s convener and will take the lead in implementing, maintaining and updating the plan. Public participation played a key role in the development of goals and action items. Public involvement in the planning process was achieved by including members from different organizations to provide representation in the steering committee meetings. In addition, as part of the regional Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant, The Partnership implemented a region-wide household preparedness survey in January 2007 to engage the public in disaster planning. The survey gauged household knowledge of mitigation tools and techniques and assessed household disaster preparedness. The survey results improve public/private coordination of mitigation and preparedness for natural hazards by obtaining more accurate information on household understanding and needs. While the survey gathered information on community members’ attitudes of household risks to natural hazards, the survey also served to remind residents of the need to prepare for natural hazard events. Results of the survey are documented in an independent report in Appendix D. Jefferson County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan September 2008 Page iii What is the Plan’s Mission? The mission of the Jefferson County multi-jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan is to create a disaster-resilient Jefferson County. What are the Plan Goals? The plan goals describe the overall direction that the participating jurisdiction’s agencies, organizations, and citizens can take toward mitigating risk from natural hazards. • Save lives and reduce injuries. • Minimize and prevent damage to public and private buildings and infrastructure. • Increase cooperation and coordination among private entities, local agencies, state agencies, and federal agencies. • Increase education, outreach, and awareness. • Protect natural and cultural resources. How are the Action Items Organized? The action items are organized within an action matrix (located at the end of this Summary), which lists all the multi-hazard