Town of Hanson Hazard Mitigation and Municipal Vulnerability
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Town of Whitman, Massachusetts Integrated Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation Plan (MVP-HMP) Community Resilience Building Workshop Summary of Findings Prepared by Old Colony Planning Council April 2021 1 | P a g e Acknowledgements This plan was prepared for the Town of Whitman by the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) under the direction of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA). The plan was funded by the Commonwealth’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) OCPC Officers President Christine Joy Treasurer Douglas Sylverstre Secretary Sandra Wright COMMUNITY DELEGATE ALTERNATE Abington Steven Santeusanio Avon Frank P. Staffier John Costa Bridgewater Sandra Wright Brockton Preston Huckabee, P.E. Duxbury Valarie Massard, AICP, CFM George D. Wadsworth East Bridgewater Peter Spagone, Jr. Easton Jeanmarie Kent Joyce Halifax Amy Troup Hanover Hanson Deborah Pettey Philip Lindquist Kingston Robert Downey Paul Basler Pembroke Rebecca Colleta Daniel Trabucco Plymouth Lee Hartmann, AICP Plympton Christine Joy James Mulcahy Stoughton Douglas Sylvestre Forrest Lindwall West Bridgewater Eldon F. Moreira Whitman Fred L. Gilmetti Dan Salvucci Delegate-at-Large Troy E. Garron OCPC Staff Mary Waldron Executive Director Charles Kilmer, AICP Assistant Director/Transportation Program Manager Shawn Bailey Senior Transportation Planner Lila Burgess Ombudsman Program Director Dottie Fulginiti Economic Recovery Planner Raymond Guarino Senior Transportation Planner David Klein AAA Administrator 2 | P a g e William McNulty Senior Transportation Planner Kyle Mowatt Transportation Planner Laurie Muncy, AICP Director, Community Planning & Economic Development Brenda Robinson Fiscal Officer Andrew Vidal GIS Manager/Communications and IT Specialist Joanne Zygmunt Senior Economic Development & Sustainability Planner Plan Preparation: Laurie Muncy, AICP Director Community Planning & Economic Development Joanne Zygmunt Senior Economic Development & Sustainability Planner Elijah Romulus Senior Comprehensive Planner Report Citation MVP Old Colony Planning Council (2021). Community Resilience Building Workshop Summary of Findings, Town of Whitman, Massachusetts. Report Citation HMP Old Colony Planning Council (2021). Integrated Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation Plan (MVP-HMP Plan). Town of Whitman, Massachusetts. 3 | P a g e 4 | P a g e ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 REPORT CITATION MVP 3 REPORT CITATION HMP 3 SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION 13 STUDY PURPOSE 13 THE COMMONWEALTH’S CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY 14 COORDINATING ROLE OF THE REGIONAL PLANNING AGENCY 15 PLANNING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FEDERAL DISASTER MITIGATION ACT 15 WHAT IS A HAZARD MITIGATION AND MUNICIPAL VULNERABLE PREPAREDNESS PLAN? 16 WHAT IS A MUNICIPAL VULNERABILITY PREPAREDNESS PLAN? 17 HOW DOES THE MUNICIPAL VULNERABILITY PREPAREDNESS PLANNING PROCESS AUGMENT OTHER HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING? 18 WHY UPDATE? 18 MASSACHUSETTS CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONS 19 RESILIENT MA CLIMATE CHANGE CLEARINGHOUSE FOR THE COMMONWEALTH 56 SECTION 2. COMMUNITY PROFILE, LAND USE, AND DEVELOPMENT TRENDS 68 COMMUNITY PROFILE 69 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE 69 LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT TRENDS 91 THE DISTRICT AND ITS ECONOMY 101 COUNTY POPULATION CHANGE 101 EMPLOYMENT TRENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 109 INDUSTRY 109 OCCUPATIONS 111 WORKFORCE CHARACTERISTICS 112 SECTION 3. INTRODUCTION TO RISK ASSESSMENT 115 PROFILING THE NATURAL HAZARDS 115 NATURAL HAZARDS ASSESSED 116 CLIMATE CHANGE RISK ASSESSMENT 119 HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS HAZARD MITIGATION 120 SECTORS ASSESSED 122 TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES 128 HAZARD PROFILE KEY TERMS 128 STATE CLIMATE EXTREMES 130 5 | P a g e SECTION 4. RISK ASSESSMENT 131 PRIMARY CLIMATE CHANGE INTERACTION: CHANGES IN PRECIPITATION 131 FLOODING 131 INLAND FLOODING (INCLUDING DAM OVERTOPPING) 134 SECTORS ASSESSED 152 DROUGHT 163 DROUGHT ASSESSMENT AND DETERMINATION 165 SECTORS ASSESSED 178 LANDSLIDE 183 HAZARD PROFILE 185 PREVIOUS OCCURRENCES 185 WARNING TIME 186 SECTORS ASSESSED 187 PRIMARY CLIMATE CHANGE INTERACTION: SEA LEVEL RISE 189 COASTAL FLOODING 192 PREVIOUS OCCURRENCES 194 WARNING TIME 195 COASTAL EROSION 196 SECTIONS ASSESSED 197 PRIMARY CLIMATE CHANGE INTERACTION: EXTREME TEMPERATURE 199 RISING TEMPERATURES/EXTREME HEAT 205 EXTREME COLD 209 PREVIOUS OCCURRENCES 214 WARNING TIME 217 SECONDARY HAZARD 217 SECTORS ASSESSED 218 FIRE 222 LOCATION 222 WILDFIRE 223 SECONDARY HAZARDS 225 WARNING TIME 226 SECTORS ASSESSED 226 INVASIVE SPECIES 228 SECTORS ASSESSED 239 PRIMARY CLIMATE CHANGE INTERACTION: EXTREME WEATHER 241 SEVERE WINDS 241 SECTORS ASSESSED 245 HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS 247 SEVERITY RATINGS 248 PAST OCCURRENCES 251 WARNING TIME 252 SECONDARY HAZARDS 253 SECTORS ASSESSED 254 6 | P a g e NOR’EASTER – SEVERE WINTER STORM 266 PAST OCCURRENCES 269 SECTORS ASSESSED 282 TORNADOS 285 PROBABILITY 288 HAZARD LOCATION 288 PREVIOUS OCCURRENCES 289 DEBRIS MANAGEMENT 290 SECTORS ASSESSED 290 NON-CLIMATE-INFLUENCED HAZARDS 292 EARTHQUAKE 292 SECTORS ASSESSED 299 TECHNOLOGICAL AND HUMAN-CAUSED HAZARDS 301 MAN-MADE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 302 SECONDARY HAZARDS 304 CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS 304 SECTORS ASSESSED 304 EPIDEMIC – PANDEMIC 306 LOCATION 306 FREQUENCY 306 WARNING TIME 307 CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION 309 SECTORS ASSESSED 311 INFECTIOUS DISEASE 323 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 324 SECONDARY IMPACTS 325 EXPOSURE 325 COMPOUND DISASTERS 326 SECTION 5. HAZARD MITIGATION AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES 328 MITIGATION GOALS FROM THE 2015 OCPC HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN 328 EXISTING MULTI-HAZARD MITIGATION MEASURES 329 EXISTING DAM MITIGATION MEASURES 330 EXISTING TOWN-WIDE MITIGATION FOR WIND-RELATED HAZARDS 330 EXISTING TOWN-WIDE MITIGATION FOR WINTER-RELATED HAZARDS 330 EXISTING TOWN-WIDE MITIGATION FOR FIRE-RELATED HAZARDS 331 EXISTING TOWN-WIDE MITIGATION FOR GEOLOGIC HAZARDS 331 2021 HAZARD MITIGATION AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLAN 338 MITIGATION GOALS FROM THE 2021 HMP UPDATE 338 GLOBAL/CROSS-CUTTING HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 339 7 | P a g e ZONING AND REGULATORY HAZARD MITIGATION AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION ACTIONS 344 INLAND FLOODING HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 346 GOAL STATEMENT FOR FLOODING 347 INLAND FLOODING HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS – DAM FAILURE 348 DROUGHT HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 349 WILDFIRE HAZARD MITIGATION ACTIONS 351 EXTREME TEMPERATURES, SNOWSTORMS, ICE STORMS HAZARD MITIGATION ACTIONS 352 GOAL STATEMENT FOR EXTREME TEMPERATURE 354 GOAL STATEMENT FOR WINTER RELATED HAZARDS 354 EXTREME WIND, THUNDERSTORMS HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 355 HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 356 VECTOR-BORNE DISEASE AND PANDEMICS HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 357 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 360 ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 362 EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 364 TECHNOLOGICAL AND HUMAN CAUSED HAZARDS MITIGATION ACTIONS 365 MITIGATION FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS 366 EQUITABLE ENGAGEMENT BLUEPRINT 366 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY 367 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY – FOOD INSECURITY 367 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY – EXTREME WEATHER/POWER OUTAGES 368 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY – FLOODING 369 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY – WILDFIRES 369 DEBRIS MANAGEMENT HAZARD MITIGATION ACTIONS 371 SECTION 6. PLAN MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES 374 PLAN ADOPTION AND MAINTENANCE 374 MONITORING, EVALUATING, AND UPDATING THE PLAN 376 MONITORING 376 EVALUATING 379 UPDATING 381 GRANT MONITORING AND COORDINATION 381 CONTINUED PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 381 APPENDIX A HAZUS 384 APPENDIX B LISTENING SESSION 1 385 APPENDIX C CRB WORKSHOP 386 APPENDIX D LISTENING SESSION 2 387 8 | P a g e APPENDIX E MAPS 388 List of Tables TABLE 1: FEMA DESIGNATION OPPORTUNITIES ..................................................................................................................... 18 TABLE 2: GEOGRAPHIC SCALES AVAILABLE FOR USE FOR MASSACHUSETTS TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION PROJECTIONS ................ 19 TABLE 3: MAXIMUM DAILY PROJECTED TEMPERATURE CHANGES THROUGH 2100 ....................................................................... 58 TABLE 4: CONSECUTIVE DRY DAYS ....................................................................................................................................... 59 TABLE 5: NORTHEAST CLIMATE ADAPTATION SCIENCE CENTER RELATIVE MEAN SEA LEVEL PROJECTIONS FOR BOSTON, MA ................ 66 TABLE 6: WHITMAN DEMOGRAPHICS ................................................................................................................................... 70 TABLE 7: DEMOGRAPHICS OF WHITMAN AND PLYMOUTH COUNTY ............................................................................................ 70 TABLE 8: POPULATION DENSITY .......................................................................................................................................... 75 TABLE 9: AGE DISTRIBUTION IN WHITMAN, 2000-2010 ......................................................................................................... 75 TABLE 10: RACE AND ETHNICITY IN WHITMAN 2000-2010 ..................................................................................................... 77 TABLE 11: EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR FORCE DATA ................................................................................................................. 78 TABLE 12: PERCENT CHANGE IN ANNUAL LABOR FORCE, 2000 - 2019 ...................................................................................... 79 TABLE 13: EMPLOYMENT VERSUS POPULATION