Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013
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Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 Table of Contents Executive Summary Section 1 Introduction Section 2 Purpose, Planning Scope and Authority Section 3 Dallas County Profile Section 4 Planning Process Section 5 Hazard & Vulnerability Assessment Section 6 Mitigation Strategy Section 7 Action Items Section 8 Plan Maintenance Section 9 Participating Jurisdictions Annexes Town of Addison Annex City of Balch Springs Annex City of Carrollton Annex City of Cedar Hill Annex City of Cockrell Hill Annex City of Combine Annex City of Coppell Annex City of Dallas Annex City of DeSoto Annex City of Duncanville Annex City of Farmers Branch Annex City of Garland Annex City of Grand Prairie Annex City of Glenn Heights Annex Town of Highland Park Annex City of Hutchins Annex City of Irving Annex City of Lancaster Annex City of Mesquite Annex City of Richardson Annex City of Rowlett Annex City of Sachse Annex City of Seagoville Annex City of Sunnyvale Annex City of University Park Annex City of Wilmer Annex Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 Unincorporated Dallas County Annex Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 Executive Summary Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 This page has been intentionally left blank Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 Section 1: INTRODUCTION Background In March 2013, Dallas County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) re-constituted and convened the Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Working Group to undergo a complete planning process to revise and update the Dallas County Local Mitigation Strategy (DaLMS). This multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan has been renamed the Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP). Each section details the revisions made to this plan during the 10 month planning process. 22 of the 26 incorporated jurisdictions within Dallas County and unincorporated Dallas County participated in the update. In order to better implement mitigation strategies throughout the County and within each participating jurisdiction, each jurisdiction formed a Hazard Mitigation Planning Team (HMPT); formally referred to as Hazard Mitigation Teams (HMT) in the 2009 HAzMAP. Each participating jurisdiction was represented at the Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Working Group through a member of their HMPT. Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Working Group revised the format of this plan to present the specific jurisdictional information in the City Annexes section of the update plan. These annexes enable each city to focus on their specific concerns and track their mitigation strategies. The Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Working Group also reformatted the structure and format of the plan to give the document a better flow of content and make it more reader friendly. The outline of the updated plan is included in the introduction section of the plan. No significant changes have been made to the hazards identified in the plan. Each year in the United States, natural disasters take the lives of hundreds of people and injure thousands more. Nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually to help communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals recover from disasters. These monies only partially reflect the true cost of disasters, because additional expenses incurred by insurance companies and nongovernmental organizations are not reimbursed by tax dollars. Many natural disasters are predictable, and much of the damage caused by these events can be reduced or even eliminated. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines mitigation as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and property from a hazard event. Studies have shown that mitigation activities are highly cost-effective. On average, each dollar spent on mitigation saves society an average of $4 in avoided future losses in addition to saving lives and preventing injuries. In 2009, Dallas County and 11 other participating jurisdictions within Dallas County adopted the Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP) after it was approved by FEMA. The mitigation planning regulation of the Disaster Mitigation Act requires that mitigation plans be reviewed and revised within five (5) years of approval to maintain eligibility for mitigation grant funding. Dallas County began the planning process to renew the HazMAP and completely update each section of the original Plan, this time involving 22 of the 26 cities within Dallas County. Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 The table below lists the participating and non-participating cities in the Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP) Update. Table 1.1: List of Participating and Non-participating cities in the HazMAP Update Participating Jurisdictions Non-Participating Jurisdictions Dallas County City of Garland (Unincorporated) Town of Addison City of Grand Prairie City of Balch Springs City of Mesquite City of Carrollton City of Hutchins City of Cedar Hill City of Cockrell Hill City of Combine City of Coppell City of Dallas City of DeSoto City of Duncanville City of Farmers Branch City of Glenn Heights Town of Highland Park City of Irving City of Lancaster City of Richardson City of Rowlett City of Sachse City of Seagoville City of Sunnyvale City of University Park City of Wilmer Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 This page has been intentionally left blank Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 Section 2: The Plan Scope, Purpose and Authority Scope The focus of the Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP) Update is to mitigate relevant hazards as determined using the Dallas County HazMAP adopted in 2009 (formerly referred to as DaLMS) and the Dallas County Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) Matrix. Each participating jurisdiction reviewed the 2009 HazMAP and completed the HIRA to determine the risk levels of the most common hazards that affect Dallas County; hazards that are ranked in percentages using a formula provided in the HIRA tool. Ranking and relevance of these hazards will continue to be evaluated during future updates to the plan, but they may not be fully addressed until they are determined to be of relevance. This enables Dallas County and its participating jurisdictions and partners to prioritize mitigation actions based on hazards which are understood to present the greatest risk to lives and property. Purpose This Dallas County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP) was prepared by Dallas County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) and the participating jurisdictions listed above, interested public, appointed representatives and elected officials of these jurisdictions. Other support and input was provided by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The HazMAP Update is an opportunity for Dallas County and participating jurisdictions to evaluate successful mitigation actions and explore opportunities to avoid future disaster loss. In developing the HazMAP, Dallas County and participating jurisdictions identified 11 natural and man‐caused hazards (profiled in detail in Section 5) to be addressed as the goal of the Plan is to minimize or eliminate long‐term risks to human life and property from known hazards by identifying and implementing cost effective mitigation actions. Mitigation is defined by FEMA as sustained actions taken to reduce or eliminate long‐term risk to people and property from hazards and their effects. Therefore, the purpose of the Plan Update is to continue developing successful mitigation projects to bring together Dallas County as a whole in order to reduce future risk of loss of life or damage to property in the County. Through this update process, Dallas County and participating cities within the county seek to: • Assess previous mitigation projects and develop unique mitigation strategies to meet future development and risks; Dallas County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2013 • Encourage improvements in floodplain management, participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP); and qualifying for FEMA’s Community Rating System, thereby reducing flood insurance premiums for citizens; • Devise solutions to strengthen emergency management by addressing prevalent risk of natural and man‐caused hazards; and • Develop and implement a comprehensive Hazard Mitigation Plan Update for Dallas County as a whole. Authority The updated plan will comply with all requirements promulgated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and all applicable provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Section 104 of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) (P.L. 106‐390), and the Bunning‐Bereuter‐Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 (P.L. 108–264). It will also comply with FEMA’s February 26, 2002 Interim Final Rule (“the Rule”) at 44 CFR, Part 201, which specifies the criteria for approval of mitigation plans required in Section 322 of the DMA 2000 and standards found in FEMA’s “Local Multi‐Hazard Mitigation Planning Guidance” (released July 1,2008). The updated plan will be developed in accordance with FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS) Floodplain Management Plan standards and policies. Summary