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Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook

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Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook September 30, 2018 Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook Table of Contents What is in this guide? .................................................................................................................................................1 Who is this guide for? .................................................................................................................................................1 Why is there a higher risk of flooding after a fire? .....................................................................................................2 How long do post-wildfire risks last? .........................................................................................................................4 What actions will reduce risk?....................................................................................................................................4 Why coordinate after a fire? ......................................................................................................................................6 Who should lead the response effort? .......................................................................................................................6 How does post-fire response to the flood hazard come together? ...........................................................................7 What should I tell residents? ......................................................................................................................................9 Who made this guide? ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Appendix A: Case Studies ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Appendix B: State and Federal Government Agencies............................................................................................ 25 Appendix C: Assistance Program Inventory ............................................................................................................ 39 Appendix D: Links to other resources ..................................................................................................................... 62 Appendix E: Social media risk messaging ................................................................................................................ 63 Appendix F: Acronym Glossary ................................................................................................................................ 64 Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook What is in this guide? This guide contains resources for local governments to address increased flood risk and debris flows that can occur after large wildfires. This guide is a resource to communities affected by a wildfire that need to navigate the complex web of federal and state programs and agencies. While wildfires generate many hazards, this guide focuses on two topics: increased flood hazard, and increased debris flow hazard. This does not minimize other concerns after a fire, such as public safety on transportation and recreation, ecosystem restoration, and economic recovery. Fires with a FEMA Fire Management Assistance Declaration, 2008-2017 The main body of this guide is relatively short, with much more detail in the appendices. This guide first explains post-fire risks for flooding and debris flows, followed by general principles on how to address these risks. It explains agency roles and gives real examples using case studies. Appendix A has case studies about responses to post-fire threats. The case studies are from the Eagle Creek, Canyon Creek, Stouts Creek, and Carlton Complex Fires. Appendix B has agency summaries of the agencies that assist with post-fire flood risk. Appendix C lists the possible assistance for local governments, with eligibility information. Who is this guide for? The handbook is primarily for city and county community officials after a fire. Emergency managers, floodplain managers, and hazard mitigation planners will find it most useful. Local officials can use components of the playbook to respond to the increased flooding threat after a fire. This guide provides a boost to coordination of mitigation efforts after a fire. Strong working relationships built during one phase of the cycle provide a foundation for continued coordination and cooperation during other phases of the cycle. While the primary audience is local community officials, others may use the playbook. It can be an educational tool for private landowners and local law enforcement. Soil and water conservation districts, state officials, and federal officials can use the playbook to understand other agencies’ roles and responsibilities. 1 Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook Why is there a higher risk of flooding after a fire? Wildfires dramatically change the landscape and ground conditions, which can lead to a higher risk of flooding. When a wildfire burns a portion of a watershed, the resulting burn scar increases the potential for flooding until vegetation is re-established. Natural, unburned vegetation and soil normally act as a sponge during a rainfall event. However, the heat from a fire can bake the ground, creating a surface that will not absorb water and can increase the speed with which water flows off the slope. When a wildfire compromises or eliminates these normal protective functions, the potential for significant flooding and debris flows increases. The infographic illustrates this below: Image adapted from FEMA Flood After Fire Toolkit 2 Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook Two distinct types of hazards exist when a heavy rainstorm occurs on a burned watershed: flooding and debris flows. Flash Flooding Flash floods are a concern even without a burned watershed. The most deadly disaster in Oregon history was the flash flood in Heppner in 1903, which resulted in 247 fatalities. The odds of a flash flood increase dramatically when a fire has burned the area upstream. Destructive flash flooding occurred in 2014 near Wenatchee, Washington just a few months after the Carlton Complex fire burned the watershed upstream of the area. Water does not easily infiltrate burned soils For any burn area, it takes much less rainfall to result in flash flooding than before the wildfire. Even modest rainstorms or heavy rain for a short time over a burned area can cause flash flooding downstream. Thunderstorms that develop quickly over burn areas can produce flash flooding and debris flows nearly as fast as National Weather Service radar can detect the rainfall, providing only a short time for warnings. These floods are typically much larger for a given sized storm than they were before the wildfire, so flooding is likely to be much more extensive following wildfire, endangering properties previously considered safe 2013 Flash flood in Colorado from flooding. A general rule of thumb is that half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour is sufficient to cause flash flooding in a burn area (NOAA). Likelihood of flooding can depend on the terrain, how much time the ground has had to heal, vegetation regrowth and the severity of the fire on the landscape. These floodwaters typically transport surface debris such as downed trees and gravel, but still behave like water. Debris Flows (Mudflows) As water runs downhill through burned areas, it can create major erosion and pick up large amounts of ash, rocks, boulders, and burned trees, generating a debris flow (also commonly termed “mudflow”)1. Fast-moving, highly destructive debris flows are one of the most dangerous post-fire hazards, since they occur with little warning. High rainfall rates are the trigger for debris flows, rather than the total amount of rain. Their mass and speed make them particularly destructive. Debris flows can strip vegetation, block drainages, damage structures, and endanger human life. The force of the rushing water and debris can threaten life and property miles away from the burned area. Survivors of debris flows describe sounds of cracking, breaking, roaring, or a freight train. Refer to Appendix D for videos of debris flows. 1 “Debris Flow” and “Mudflow” are used interchangeably in this document. The National Flood Insurance Program covers damages from both flooding and mudflows, and a debris flow qualifies as a mudflow. For more detailed definitions, refer to Lancaster et al (2015), “Alluvial Fan Flooding Hazards: An Engineering Geologic Approach”, California Geologic Service. 3 Oregon Post-Wildfire Flood Playbook Debris flows result in major devastation, as evidenced in January 2018 in Southern California and September 2014 near Wenatchee, WA. In December 2017, the Thomas fire burned many areas upslope of Montecito. Less than a month later, heavy rain on the burn scar led to severe debris flows that caused 21 fatalities and destroyed over 100 homes. In 2014, debris flows following the Carlton Complex fires resulted in severe property damage and a near-fatality. How long do post-wildfire risks last? In areas that have been severely burned, post-wildfire risks of floods or debris flows may last for two to five years. After two or three years, the regrowth of vegetation and reduced water repellency of the soil should lower the risk considerably. What actions will reduce risk? Communities cannot entirely eliminate the risk of flooding or debris flows after a fire, but they can take steps can reduce risk.
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