All-Hazards Plan for Baltimore City: A Master Plan to Mitigate Natural Hazards
Prepared for the City of Baltimore by the City of Baltimore Department of Planning Adopted by the Baltimore City Planning Commission April 20, 2006 v.3 Otis Rolley, III Mayor Martin Director O’Malley Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction ...... 1
Plan Contents...... 1 About the City of Baltimore ...... 3
Chapter Two: Natural Hazards in Baltimore City ...... 5
Flood Hazard Profile ...... 7 Hurricane Hazard Profile...... 11 Severe Thunderstorm Hazard Profile...... 14 Winter Storm Hazard Profile ...... 17 Extreme Heat Hazard Profile ...... 19 Drought Hazard Profile...... 20 Earthquake and Land Movement Hazard Profile ...... 21
Chapter Three: Vulnerability Assessment...... 25
Flooding Vulnerability Assessment ...... 25 High Wind Vulnerability Assessment ...... 32 Winter Storm Vulnerability Assessment ...... 34 Extreme Heat Vulnerability Assessment ...... 35 Hazard Ranking ...... 36
Chapter Four: Mitigation Strategies...... 37
Hazard Mitigation Goals...... 37 Objectives and Strategies ...... 38 Mitigation Strategy Priorities ...... 44
Chapter Five: Monitoring and Evaluation...... 49
Appendices...... 51
Appendix A: Documentation of Adoption of the All-Hazards Plan...... 52 Appendix B: Baltimore City Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)...... 54 Appendix C: Elderly Residents and Tree Canopy...... 61 Appendix D: Map Inserts...... 66
All Hazards Mitigation Plan for the City of Baltimore— Page i
Chapter One: Introduction
Like many other communities across the United States, the City of Baltimore has suffered the devastating effects of natural hazards. Weather and flooding events have caused extensive property damage, disrupted businesses and lives, and sometimes led to the loss of life. In fact, seven times over 25 years, natural hazard events caused damage enough to make the City of Baltimore eligible for Presidential disaster declarations.
In order to reduce the damages associated with natural hazards, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires each local jurisdiction in the United States to adopt an all natural hazards mitigation plan to be eligible for disaster-related grants. Hazard mitigation is the process of developing strategies to reduce or eliminate the loss of life and property damage resulting from natural hazards. The hazard mitigation planning process entails engaging community resources for research, expertise, and input; assessing the potential losses hazards may inflict upon the community; developing strategies to address the identified risks; and implementing the plan. This All-Hazards Plan for the City of Baltimore provides a blueprint for the City to mitigate risks from hazards like flooding, high winds, and extreme heat.
Plan Contents
For approval by FEMA, this plan must meet four sets of criteria as outlined by 44 CFR Part 201—Mitigation Planning, Interim Final Rule. Following is a list of the ways the City of Baltimore has fulfilled the four major components: