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Boulder County Hazard Mitigation Plan Boulder County 2014 - 2019 0 Table of Contents Hazard Mitigation Plan ................................................................................................................................. 0 Boulder County ............................................................................................................................................. 0 Section 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 4 Section 2: Community Profile ................................................................................................................... 6 Section 3: Planning Process ...................................................................................................................... 9 Section 4: Risk Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 18 Hazard Identification ................................................................................................................................... 18 Hazards Not Included ......................................................................................................................... 22 Profile Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 22 Avalanche ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Communicable / Zoonotic Disease Outbreak .................................................................................... 27 Dam and Levee Failure ....................................................................................................................... 29 Drought .............................................................................................................................................. 34 Earthquake ......................................................................................................................................... 40 Expansive Soils ................................................................................................................................... 44 Extreme Temperatures ...................................................................................................................... 47 Flood ................................................................................................................................................... 49 Hailstorm ............................................................................................................................................ 60 Landslide/Mud and Debris Flow/Rockfall .......................................................................................... 62 Lightning ............................................................................................................................................. 66 Severe Winter Storms ........................................................................................................................ 71 Subsidence ......................................................................................................................................... 76 Tornado .............................................................................................................................................. 80 Wildfire ............................................................................................................................................... 83 1 Windstorm.......................................................................................................................................... 89 Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 95 Assets at Risk ...................................................................................................................................... 96 Growth and Development Trends .................................................................................................... 134 Estimating Potential Losses .............................................................................................................. 135 Section 5: Mitigation Strategy .............................................................................................................. 168 Goal 1: Reduce the loss of life and personal injuries from hazard events ....................................... 168 Goal 2: Reduce impacts of hazard events on property, critical facilities/infrastructure, and the environment ..................................................................................................................................... 169 Goal 3: Strengthen intergovernmental coordination, communication, and capabilities in regard to mitigating hazard impacts ................................................................................................................ 169 Goal 4: Improve public awareness regarding hazard vulnerability and mitigation ......................... 169 Section 6: Plan Adoption ...................................................................................................................... 181 Section 7: Plan Implementation and Maintenance .............................................................................. 188 Appendix A Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee ............................................................................ 202 Appendix B: Other Resources ............................................................................................................... 207 Appendix C: Community Engagement Documentation ........................................................................ 211 Annex A: Boulder County...................................................................................................................... 230 Annex B: Erie ......................................................................................................................................... 282 Annex C: Jamestown ............................................................................................................................. 310 Annex D: Lafayette ............................................................................................................................... 331 Annex E: Longmont ............................................................................................................................... 346 Annex F: Louisville ................................................................................................................................ 385 Annex G: Lyons ..................................................................................................................................... 420 Annex H: Superior ................................................................................................................................. 453 2 Annex I: Ward ....................................................................................................................................... 475 Annex J: Gold Hill .................................................................................................................................. 487 Annex K: Town of Nederland ................................................................................................................ 496 Annex L: Four Mile Fire Protection District .......................................................................................... 513 Annex M: Lefthand Fire Protection District .......................................................................................... 521 Annex N: Sunshine Fire Protection District .......................................................................................... 527 3 Section 1: Introduction PURPOSE In 2008 the Boulder Office of Emergency Management (OEM), together with the communities of Erie, Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Superior, Ward, and the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain School Districts, prepared the first Boulder County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan to better protect people and property from the hazards that threaten our county. By completing the plan, our county became eligible for certain federal disaster assistance including the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program. Our county also earned credits for the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System. In 2013, as the OEM prepared to revise and update the plan as required by FEMA, we sought to review the goals our communities set for themselves in the original plan; note the accomplishments of the past five years and any remaining goals not yet achieved; reassess the hazards we face; and facilitate the setting of new hazard mitigation goals. As with any civic effort, the process to revise and update our hazard mitigation plan works best when it is as inclusive as possible. The OEM reached out to stakeholders, partners, and residents to educate, inform, and generate unprecedented levels of participation. In addition, we launched a virtual planning process using social media to broaden the dialogue to include those members of our communities that in the past have been underrepresented in the planning process. Through an inclusive revision process focused on the
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