Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan TRAVERSE County, Minnesota, 2015
Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan TRAVERSE County, Minnesota
2015
Contact:
Traverse County Lynn Siegel, Emergency Management Director 708 3rd Avenue North Wheaton, MN 56296 [email protected] (320) 563-0872 www.co.traverse.mn.us
Prepared By:
Geospatial Analysis Center College of Liberal Arts University of Minnesota Duluth 329 Cina Hall Duluth, MN 55812
Stacey Stark, Director [email protected] (218) 726-7438
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Table of Contents Table of Contents ...... 5 List of Figures ...... 7 List of Tables ...... 8 Section 1 – Introduction...... 9 1.1 Introduction ...... 9 1.1.1 Scope ...... 9 1.1.2 Hazard Mitigation Definition...... 10 1.1.3 Benefits of Mitigation Planning ...... 11 1.2 State Mitigation Plan Overview ...... 11 Section 2 – Public Planning Process ...... 13 2.1 Planning Team Information ...... 13 2.2 Review of Existing Plans ...... 13 2.3 Planning Process Timeline and Steps ...... 14 Section 3 – Traverse County Profile ...... 17 3.1 General County Description ...... 17 3.2 Environmental Characteristics ...... 17 3.3 Hydrography ...... 18 3.3.1 Groundwater ...... 18 3.3.2 Lakes ...... 19 3.3.3 Rivers ...... 19 3.3.4 Wetlands ...... 20 3.4 Climate ...... 20 3.5 Demographics ...... 20 3.6 Economy ...... 23 3.7 Traverse County Community Services & Infrastructure ...... 24 3.7.1 Health Care Providers ...... 26 3.7.2 Public Safety Providers/Government Services...... 26 3.7.3 Utilities/Communications ...... 28 3.7.4 Transportation ...... 28 3.8 Land Use and Ownership ...... 28 Section 4 – Risk Assessment ...... 31
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4.1 Hazard Identification/Profile...... 31 4.1.1 Hazard Identification ...... 31 4.1.2 Vulnerability Assessment by Jurisdiction ...... 32 4.1.3 Calculated Priority Risk Index ...... 34 4.1.4 Hazard Profiling Concept of Planning ...... 36 4.1.5 GIS and Hazus-MH...... 36 4.1.6 National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Records ...... 37 4.1.7 FEMA Declared Disasters ...... 37 4.2 Vulnerability Assessment ...... 41 4.2.1 Asset Inventory ...... 41 4.2.2 Facility Replacement Costs ...... 44 4.3 Future Development ...... 44 4.4 Hazard Profiles ...... 45 4.4.1 Flash Flood and Riverine Flood ...... 45 4.4.2 Wildfire ...... 61 4.4.3 Severe Winter Storms – Blizzards, Ice Storms ...... 63 4.4.4 Severe Summer Storms (Lightning, Hail, Windstorms, Tornadoes) ...... 68 4.4.5 Extreme Cold ...... 77 4.4.6 Extreme Heat ...... 79 4.4.7 Drought ...... 81 4.4.8 Dam Failure ...... 82 4.4.9 Structure Fires ...... 86 4.4.10 Ground and Surface Water Supply Contamination ...... 87 4.4.11 Infectious Diseases ...... 90 4.4.12 Hazardous Materials ...... 94 4.4.13 Terrorism ...... 98 Section 5 – Mitigation Strategy ...... 100 5.1 Community Capability Assessment ...... 100 5.1.1 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) ...... 100 5.1.2 Plans and Ordinances ...... 100 5.2 Mitigation Goals ...... 101 5.3 Mitigation Actions and Projects ...... 104
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5.3.1 Hazard Mitigation Actions ...... 107 5.3.2 Mitigation Actions by Community ...... 139 Section 6 – Plan Maintenance...... 140 6.1 Monitoring, Evaluation, and Updating the Plan ...... 140 6.2 Implementation ...... 140 6.3 Continued Public Involvement ...... 141 APPENDICES ...... 143 TRAVERSE COUNTY MULTI-HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN, 2015 ...... 143 Appendix A Traverse County Maps ...... 1 Appendix B Traverse County Critical Facilities ...... 1 Appendix C Traverse County Hazard Events ...... 1 Appendix D Adopting Resolutions ...... 1 Appendix E Planning Team Meetings...... 1 Appendix F Public Meeting Notices and Meeting Notes ...... 1 Appendix G Completed and Deleted Actions from the 2008 Plan ...... 1 Appendix H Mitigation Actions by Jurisdiction ...... 1 Appendix I Works Cited ...... 1 Appendix J Traverse County Plans & Programs in Place ...... 1
List of Figures Figure 1. Traverse County Population, 2010 (Note: dots are randomly distributed within census blocks to reflect density and do not represent residences) ...... 22 Figure 2. Critical Facilities in Traverse County ...... 25 Figure 3. Fire Departments and Fire Response Times in Traverse County ...... 27 Figure 4. Conceptual Depiction of a Vulnerability Analysis ...... 34 Figure 5. FEMA-Declared Disasters in Minnesota ...... 38 Figure 6. Critical Facilities in the City of Wheaton ...... 42 Figure 7. Critical Facilities in the City of Browns Valley ...... 43 Figure 8. Flooded Home and Car in Browns Valley, March 2007 ...... 46 Figure 9. Distribution of Estimated Economic Loss for Traverse County in 100-Year Flood ...... 50 Figure 10. Census Block #271559602002032 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley ...... 52 Figure 11. Census Block #271559602002030 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley ...... 53 Figure 12. Census Block #271559602002033 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley ...... 54 Figure 13. Census Block #271559602001075 and 100-Year Floodplain in Dumont ...... 55 Figure 14. Census Block #271559602001191 and 100-Year Floodplain near Browns Valley ...... 56 Figure 15. Dumont Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain ...... 57 Figure 16. Tintah Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain ...... 58 Figure 17. Armistice Day Blizzard, 1941 ...... 63 Figure 18. Most Recent Severe Wind and Hail Storms in Traverse County ...... 71 Figure 19. Traverse County Tornado, July 30, 2011 (Elms, Prairie Wind Chasers, 2011) ...... 72
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Figure 20. Tornado Touchdowns and Paths, Traverse County (1950-2014) ...... 74 Figure 21. Dams in Traverse County ...... 84 Figure 22. Traverse County Groundwater Contamination Susceptibility and Wells ...... 89 Figure 23. Sites with Hazardous or Chemical Waste in Traverse County ...... 95
List of Tables Table 1. Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Team 2015 ...... 13 Table 2. Planning Documents used for MHMP Planning Process ...... 14 Table 3. Traverse County Hazard Mitigation Update Meetings ...... 15 Table 4. Traverse County Population by Community, 2010 ...... 21 Table 5. Traverse County Population Change (1940-2010) ...... 23 Table 6. Traverse County Population Projections (2015-2045) ...... 23 Table 7. Annual Average Employment by Major Industry Sector, Traverse County ...... 24 Table 8. FEMA MHIRA Natural Hazards in the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan ...... 32 Table 9. FEMA MHIRA Other Hazards in the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan ...... 32 Table 10. Hazards identified in the 2008 Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan ...... 33 Table 11. Hazards Included in the 2015 Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan ...... 33 Table 12. Summary of Calculated Priority Risk Index (CPRI) Categories and Risk Levels ...... 35 Table 13. Priorities of Risks Faced by Traverse County...... 36 Table 14. National Climatic Data Center Historical Hazards ...... 37 Table 15. FEMA-Declared Major Disasters in Traverse County (1965-2014) ...... 39 Table 16. FEMA-Declared Emergencies in Traverse County (1976-2014) ...... 40 Table 17. Historical Hazard Mitigation Funding in Traverse County ...... 40 Table 18. Traverse County Critical Infrastructure and Facilities ...... 41 Table 19. Traverse County Total Building Exposure ...... 44 Table 20. Traverse County Historical Floods (1997-November 2014) ...... 48 Table 21. Historical Flood Crests for USGS gaging stations in Traverse County ...... 48 Table 22. Traverse County Total Economic Loss from 100-Year Flood ...... 49 Table 23. Traverse County Census Blocks with the Greatest Estimated Losses in the 100-Year Floodplain ...... 51 Table 24. Traverse County Critical Infrastructure within estimated 100-Year Flood Boundary ...... 57 Table 25. West-Central Minnesota Winter Storm Events...... 65 Table 26. Storms producing hail of greater than 1 inch diameter in Traverse County (1955-November 2014) ...... 69 Table 27. Historic Tornado Events in Traverse County (1956-November 2014) ...... 73 Table 28. Dams in Traverse County ...... 83 Table 29. Traverse County Fire Department Runs, Dollar Losses, and Deaths (2009-2013) ...... 86 Table 30. NFIP Participation in Traverse County...... 100 Table 31. Goals, Strategies, and Objectives from the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan .... 101 Table 32. STAPLE+E Planning Factors ...... 107 Table 33. All Mitigation Actions for Traverse County ...... 110
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Section 1 – Introduction
1.1 Introduction Hazard mitigation is defined as any sustained action to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made reducing hazards one of its primary goals; hazard mitigation planning and the subsequent implementation of resulting projects, measures, and policies is a primary mechanism in achieving FEMA’s goal.
Hazard mitigation planning and preparedness will be the most effective instrument to diminish losses by reducing the impact of disasters upon people and property. Although mitigation efforts will not eliminate all disasters, each county shall endeavor to be prepared as much as possible for a disaster.
The Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) is a requirement of the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000). The development of a local government plan is required in order to maintain eligibility for certain federal disaster assistance and hazard mitigation funding programs. In order for communities to be eligible for future mitigation funds, they must adopt an MHMP.
Traverse County is vulnerable to a variety of potential disasters. These hazards, both natural and human caused, threaten loss of life and property in the county. Such hazards as tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, blizzards, straight line winds, ice storms, and hazardous material spills have the potential for inflicting vast economic loss and personal hardship. In 2013, Minnesota had some of the highest weather-related disaster claims in the country (MN Environmental Quality Board, 2014).
This Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan represents the efforts of local agencies in Traverse County to fulfill the responsibility for hazard mitigation planning. The intent of the plan is to reduce the actual threat of specific hazards by limiting the impact of damages and losses.
1.1.1 Scope The Traverse County Emergency Management Director and the University of Minnesota Duluth Geospatial Analysis Center have combined efforts to update the Traverse County 2008 Mitigation Plan.
This Hazard Mitigation Plan evaluates and ranks the major natural and technological hazards affecting Traverse County as determined by frequency of event, economic impact, deaths, and injuries. Mitigation recommendations are based on input from state and local agencies, public input, and national best practices.
The University of Minnesota Duluth Geospatial Analysis Center (GAC) performed a hazard risk assessment for 100-year floods using the Hazus-MH GIS tool. In recognition of the importance of planning in mitigation activities, FEMA created Hazards USA Multi-Hazard (Hazus-MH), a powerful geographic information system (GIS)-based disaster risk assessment tool. This tool enables communities of all sizes to predict estimated losses from floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other related phenomena and to measure the impact of various mitigation practices that might help reduce those losses. The Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management office has determined that
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Hazus-MH should play a critical role in Minnesota’s risk assessments, and therefore the 100-year flood event hazard analysis is introduced in this plan.
This plan is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Traverse County, its school districts, and the cities of Wheaton, Browns Valley, Dumont, and Tintah. The Traverse County risks and mitigation activities identified in this plan also incorporate the concerns and needs of townships and other entities participating in this plan.
Members from each of these jurisdictions actively participated in the planning process by attending workgroup meetings, providing information, suggesting mitigation strategies and reviewing the plan document. Each jurisdiction will adopt the plan by resolution after approval by FEMA. Copies of the resolutions can be found in Appendix D in the back of the plan.
Traverse County has specified the following goals for this Hazard Mitigation Plan:
To evaluate and rank the hazards that impact Traverse County. To determine the extent of existing mitigation programs and policy capabilities within Traverse County. To create a detailed, working document that will establish a standardized process for ensuring coordination of hazard mitigation efforts and to implement an ongoing and comprehensive hazard mitigation strategy. To familiarize state and local officials and the general public about comprehensive hazard mitigation in Traverse County and obtain their support.
1.1.2 Hazard Mitigation Definition Hazard mitigation may be defined as any action taken to eliminate or reduce the long-term risk to human life and property from natural and technological hazards. Potential types of hazard mitigation measures include the following:
Structural hazard control or protection projects Retrofitting of facilities Acquisition and relocation of structures Development of mitigation standards, regulations, policies, and programs Public awareness and education programs Development or improvement of warning systems
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1.1.3 Benefits of Mitigation Planning The benefits of hazard mitigation planning include the following:
Saving lives, protecting the health of the public, and reducing injuries Preventing or reducing property damage Reducing economic losses Minimizing social dislocation and stress Reducing agricultural losses Maintaining critical facilities in functioning order Protecting infrastructure from damage Protecting mental health Reducing legal liability of government and public officials
1.2 State Mitigation Plan Overview FEMA currently has three mitigation grant programs that are administered by the State of Minnesota: the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program (PDM), and the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program. The HMGP, PDM and FMA are administered through the Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
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Section 2 – Public Planning Process
2.1 Planning Team Information The Traverse County multi-hazard mitigation planning team is headed by the Traverse County Emergency Management Director, who is the primary point of contact. University of Minnesota Duluth staff under contract with Traverse County includes Stacey Stark (GAC Director), Steve Graham (GAC Research Analyst) and Adam Pine (Department of Geography, Urban, Environment & Sustainability Studies). Members of the Traverse County MHMP planning team include representatives from the public, private, and governmental sectors. Table 1 identifies the planning team individuals and the organizations they represent.
Table 1. Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Team 2015 Name Participant Title Organization Todd Johnson Commissioner Traverse County Randy Tritz Chairman Leonardsville Township Ron Vold Chairman Tara Township Don Montonye Councilman Dumont Jerry Meta Board Member Browns Valley Ton Schmitz City Administrator Browns Valley Lee Rowland Safety SWMC Tom Frisch Supervisor Croke Township Steven M. Fridgen Supervisor Dollymount Township Rhonda Antrim Coordinator Traverse County Social Services Jon Roeschlein Administrator Bois de Sioux Watershed District (BDSWD) Joann Foltz CEO Sanford Wheaton Dan Posthumus Superintendent Wheaton Area Schools Larry Haukos County Engineer Traverse County Kris Krenz Administrator Wheaton Brenda Bartz Mayor Browns Valley Lynn Siegel Emergency Manager Traverse County
Jurisdictional representatives participating on the planning team were contacted throughout the plan update process to provide feedback on the hazards of concern to their community and the mitigation actions which they would seek to implement upon plan adoption. The list of final mitigation actions was divided into jurisdiction-specific mitigation action charts so that each could see and address those actions that applied specifically to their cities (see Appendix H: Mitigation Actions by Jurisdiction).
2.2 Review of Existing Plans Traverse County and its local communities utilized a variety of planning documents to direct identification of mitigation strategies and local preparedness. Section 4.4 details the review of plans and programs in place as related to each hazard facing Traverse County. This review of information was used
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to inform the identification of hazards, mitigation strategies and actions. Table 2 lists the plans, studies, reports, and ordinances used in the development of the plan.
Table 2. Planning Documents used for MHMP Planning Process Author(s) Year Title Description Where Used A plan to identify existing and potential problems and opportunities for protection, 2005- Traverse County Sara Gronfeld management and development of water Section 3 2014 Water Plan Update resources and related land resources in Traverse County. Minnesota Division of Minnesota All- Homeland 2014 Hazard Mitigation Statewide hazard mitigation plan. Section 5.2 Security and Plan Update Emergency Management Threat & Hazard Guide for reviewing the identification and Identification & Traverse County 2013 ranking of hazards which face Traverse Section 4 Risk Assessment County. (THIRA) This plan is intended to assist key government officials and emergency Emergency organizations to carry out their Traverse County 2013 Section 4 Operations Plan responsibilities for the protection of life and property under a wide range of emergency conditions.
2.3 Planning Process Timeline and Steps In order to update the 2008 Traverse County Hazard Mitigation Plan, UMD consultants worked in coordination with the Traverse County Emergency Management Director, State of Minnesota Hazard Mitigation officials, and members of the planning team. The goals of the updating process were to include more recent data documenting the critical infrastructure and hazards faced by Traverse County, reformat and reorganize the plan to reflect definitions of hazards as expressed in the 2008 State of Minnesota Multi-Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Plan, and reflect current hazard mitigation priorities in Traverse County. Therefore, the new plan includes not only new data documenting the types of hazards faced by County residents and Emergency Planning officials, but also new thinking about how to best address these hazards.
This plan is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Traverse County and the cities of Wheaton, Browns Valley, Dumont, and Tintah. The Traverse County risks and mitigation activities identified in this plan incorporate the concerns and needs of townships, school districts, and other entities participating in this plan.
Two in-person meetings took place with Traverse County. The first one was in January of 2014, at the UMD Geospatial Analysis Center in Duluth. GAC staff met with the Traverse County Emergency Management Director for the kick-off meeting. A phone meeting between UMD GAC staff and the
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Traverse County Emergency Management Director occurred on May 22, 2014. The second in-person meeting was held on August 13, 2014 in Wheaton, which included UMD, Traverse County Emergency Management, and the planning team. The planning team was provided with an overview of the purpose, process and timeline for the Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan update, as well as the role and responsibilities of planning team members. Appendix E provides documentation of planning team meeting summaries, including participant sign-in sheets and presentation slides.
Between the first and second meetings, planning team members were also engaged in providing feedback on plans and programs in place or program gaps or deficiencies as they relate to hazards facing the county. This information was used to inform the development of mitigation strategies in the updated plan.
Hazards addressed in the plan were prioritized according to the Calculated Priority Risk Index (CPRI). New hazard mitigation actions were discussed for inclusion in the plan, and were prioritized using the STAPLE+E Process. For more information about the planning process, see sections 5 and 6.
Public input was sought through meetings and direct conversations (see Appendix F: Public Meeting Notices and Meeting Notes). Two public comment meetings were held in Traverse County, described in Table 3. These meetings were facilitated by UMD consultants and attended by the Traverse County Emergency Management Director. Meetings were publicized using an informational flyer and a press release sent to Traverse County newspapers and radio stations. At these meetings members of the public learned about the hazard mitigation process, received an update on the pace of updating the 2008 plan, and discussed new mitigation actions that could be added to the 2015 plan.
Table 3. Traverse County Hazard Mitigation Update Meetings Meeting Type Date Location UMD/Traverse County Emergency 1/24/2014 UMD, Duluth Management UMD/Traverse County Emergency 5/22/2014 telephone Management Planning team 8/13/2014 Wheaton Public 12/10/2014 Browns Valley Library Sanford Wheaton Public 12/10/2014 Ambulance Garage
At the close of these meetings, UMD consultants worked with the Traverse County Emergency Management Director and members of the planning team to incorporate comments from the public hearings into the overall hazard mitigation plan.
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Section 3 – Traverse County Profile
This section offers a general overview of Traverse County to provide a basic understanding of the characteristics of the community, such as the physical environment, population, and the location and distribution of services.
3.1 General County Description Traverse County is located in west-central Minnesota, bordering North and South Dakota on the western edge. The county covers nearly 586 square miles (375,040 acres) and the county’s estimated population in 2010 was 3,558. Wheaton (population: 1,424) is the county seat and the largest city in the county.
The 4 cities in Traverse County are Wheaton, Browns Valley, Dumont, and Tintah. The 15 townships are Arthur, Clifton, Croke, Dollymount, Folsom, Lake Valley, Leonardsville, Monson, Parnell, Redpath, Tara, Taylor, Tintah, Walls, and Windsor.
Traverse County features a strong agricultural base. With a 2010 population of 3,558, it is the least- populous county in Minnesota. There is one airport in the county, located southwest of Wheaton.
3.2 Environmental Characteristics The Prairie Pothole Region covers 300,000 square miles in central North America, including west-central Minnesota and Traverse County. This region gets its name from the once extensive grassland that was dotted with millions of shallow wetlands called potholes. Prior to European settlement, the Prairie Pothole Region was a paradise for waterfowl, prairie chickens, bison, wolves and other prairie wildlife.
Minnesota's portion of the Prairie Pothole Region is tallgrass prairie, where grasses sometimes grow 6 or 7 feet high. Common plants in this ecosystem include grasses like Big bluestem (Andropogn gerardii), Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), and many different wildflowers. The plant and animal communities in the tallgrass prairie depend on periodic disturbances like ungulate grazing and fire.
The glaciers that retreated from this region more than 12,000 years ago left behind depressions in the prairie that filled with water. These pothole wetlands vary in size and how long they have surface water, two factors that influence the plants and animals using them. These wetlands are most well known for their importance to waterfowl; it is estimated that more than half the waterfowl born in North America comes from this area.
The glaciers also left behind very fertile soil, which made this part of the country attractive for agricultural development. Agriculture changed the landscape by breaking up the prairie sod and draining potholes, which resulted in the loss of many of these natural habitats.
Traverse County’s soil type is primarily clay loam to silty clay loam. Over three quarters of Traverse County lies in the agriculturally productive glacial lake plain of the Red River Valley. The land in Traverse County has been extensively drained for improved agricultural production in the last century. Increased
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volume and velocity of cropland drainage has led to more soil erosion by water, resulting in degradation of the clarity and quality of water throughout the county. Lake Traverse has been polluted with high levels of sedimentation and phosphorus especially from areas with tributary outlets. Lake Traverse is one of the water bodies on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) list of impaired waters for mercury/heavy metals along with the Mustinka River - a tributary leading into the lake.
3.3 Hydrography Most of Traverse County lies primarily in the Red River of the North Basin, with a small portion in the southwest corner of the county located in the Minnesota River Basin. Three watersheds are located in the county, including the Bois de Sioux River watershed, the Mustinka River watershed, and the Minnesota River – Headwaters watershed (MN DNR, n.d.).
3.3.1 Groundwater Groundwater quality is very important to the residents of Traverse County, as all rural and urban residents rely on groundwater for fresh water. Due to the nature of the primarily clay-rich soil types throughout the county, the most common route of groundwater contamination is through abandoned and unsealed wells. Contaminants such as manure, pesticides, or other chemicals can easily enter an aquifer through a buried well casing. The Comprehensive Local Water Planning (CLWP) Environmental Activities Council has sponsored a well sealing program with funding to provide cost share for the sealing of abandoned wells (the average cost of sealing abandoned and unused wells is around $500). The program has proven to be a great success since its initiation.
Groundwater recharge normally occurs in the moraine areas and discharge occurs in the lake plain area of the Bois de Sioux Watershed District. This is evidenced by a number of flowing wells in the lake plain and by the numerous springs that feed Lake Traverse, specifically in Traverse County. The quality and quantity of groundwater available varies depending on the formation in which it is found. Groundwater is found in both surficial and buried aquifers within the glacial drift. It is also found in cretaceous sediments and, to a limited degree, within bedrock.
Water from aquifers in the glacial drift is generally very hard and high in dissolved solids and iron. Surficial aquifers tend to have lower dissolved solids and iron content. However, they are far more easily contaminated by surface water pollutants. Yields from individual wells typically range from 100 to 500 gallons per minute (gpm). Water from aquifers in cretaceous sediment is high in dissolved solids and iron. The hardness ranges from mild to severe. This water may contain a significant amount of salts that make it unsuitable for some uses. Yields from individual wells are usually less than 100 gpm.
Based on information provided by the MN DNR, there are 4 municipal water suppliers within Traverse County which are permitted by the DNR to draw a total of 201 million gallons of water per year from various groundwater sources. The 4 municipalities are Browns Valley, Dumont, Wheaton, and Tintah. Wheaton is the only city in the county required by law to have a Water Supply and Emergency Conservation Plan.
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Another possible source of groundwater contamination is through unsewered communities and failing individual sewage treatment systems (ISTS). According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), there are 2 unsewered communities and 844 ISTS within the Bois de Sioux Watershed District. Of those, 506 are considered failing by MPCA standards. The MPCA estimates that approximately 75% of the homes within the watershed district utilize an individual sewage treatment system. There are 2 permitted wastewater treatment plant discharges within Traverse County, in Wheaton and Dumont. The Traverse County ISTS program issues permits for new systems as well as completing inspections and assisting owners in bringing systems into compliance. Additional funding to the ISTS program may help bring awareness to the increasing need for compliant systems.
There is some possibility of shallow groundwater aquifer contamination from manure nutrient concentration and improper disposal of animal mortalities. The Traverse County Feedlot Officer in association with other local agencies provides education to animal agriculture producers about the hazards of these types of pollution and the proper management of each. MN Feedlot Rules outline proper storage of solid manure and regulations of liquid manure storage. The MN Board of Animal Health has standards set for the proper disposal of animal mortalities which will reduce groundwater contamination in the event that a rendering company is not available (Gronfeld, 2005).
3.3.2 Lakes Lake Traverse, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water retention project, spans the southwest half of the county’s border and covers 11,200 surface acres. Construction on the Lake Traverse Flood Control project began in 1936 and was completed in 1941. The primary purposes were flood control benefits along the Bois de Sioux River and lower Red River Valley, and water conservation for frequent periods of drought. The project consists of 2 dams, 1 dike, Lake Traverse and Mud Lake (3,850 surface acres). The significant feature of the project is the Browns Valley Dike on the south end of Lake Traverse, keeping it separate from Big Stone Lake. The dike sits on the continental divide, which marks the outlet of Glacial Lake Agassiz. Waters on the north side of the dike flow into Hudson Bay, and on the south waters flow into the Minnesota River and on to the Mississippi River.
Impaired waters are an increasing problem as Traverse County has many lakes, creeks and rivers that are on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Impaired Waters lists, including Lake Traverse, Mustinka River, Bois de Sioux River, Twelvemile Creek (including the West Branch), and Fivemile Creek (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 2014). Impaired waters have become a priority issue because they do not meet state water quality standards, they affect growth and health of communities and economies, and the Clean Water Act has a mandate requiring every state to address impairments.
3.3.3 Rivers The 30-mile Bois de Sioux River drains Lake Traverse, the southernmost body of water in the Hudson Bay watershed of North America. It is a tributary of the Red River and defines part of Minnesota’s western border with South Dakota and North Dakota. Just north of Traverse County, the Bois de Sioux joins the Otter Tail River to become the Red River, which empties into Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.
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The Mustinka River flows through the county from the east, before emptying into Lake Traverse. The river is 68 miles long, originating near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. For several years, sections of the river have been impaired by turbidity due to too much soil/sediment eroding from land and washing away into the water. Excess sediment degrades aquatic habitat and feeds algae blooms (Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources).
The Little Minnesota River flows briefly through the county in the southwestern corner, before joining the Minnesota River to the south.
3.3.4 Wetlands Wetlands mapped by the National Wetland Inventory cover 12,166 acres in Traverse County. However, this inventory was based on aerial photographs primarily from 1979-1984. An update of the NWI, the only comprehensive wetland inventory for Minnesota, is currently underway, but will not be completed before 2016. Wetlands are one of the most efficient natural water filters, as wetland plants and soils clean the water before it goes into groundwater or rivers. After being slowed by a wetland, water moves around plants allowing suspended sediments to drop out and settle on the wetland floor. Plant roots and microorganisms in the soil often absorb nutrients from fertilizer application, manure, leaking septic systems, and municipal sewage. Wetlands also serve as a storage area for excess water during times of flooding.
Wetlands in Traverse County include 5 types, including wooded swamp, shrub swamp, deep marsh, shallow marsh, and seasonally flooded basin or flat.
3.4 Climate The climate of the county is characterized as continental. During the winter months, cold, dry polar air dominates the region. Hot, dry air masses from the desert southwest, along with warm, moist maritime tropical air masses that originate over the Gulf of Mexico are common during the summer months.
July is the warmest month on average in the city of Wheaton, with a record high of 106°F in 1988. January is the coldest month, with the lowest recorded temperature occurring in 1977, when it reached -33°F. The maximum average precipitation occurs in June (The Weather Channel, n.d.).
3.5 Demographics Wheaton is the largest city in Traverse County and the designated county seat. There are 4 cities and 15 townships within the county. Table 4 summarizes population by community according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Figure 1 shows Traverse County population density by census block.
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Table 4. Traverse County Population by Community, 2010 2010 % of Community Population County Browns Valley 589 16.6% Dumont 100 2.8%
Tintah 63 1.8% Wheaton 1,424 40.0% Arthur Township 81 2.3%
Clifton Township 75 2.1% Croke Township 75 2.1%
Dollymount Township 77 2.2%
Folsom Township 128 3.6% Lake Valley Township 237 6.7% Leonardsville Township 107 3.0%
Monson Township 133 3.7% Parnell Township 60 1.7% Redpath Township 48 1.3%
Tara Township 92 2.6% Taylor Township 105 3.0% Tintah Township 33 0.9%
Walls Township 65 1.8% Windsor Township 66 1.9%
Total: 3,558
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010
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Figure 1. Traverse County Population, 2010 (Note: dots are randomly distributed within census blocks to reflect density and do not represent residences)
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Population growth trends have an important influence on the needs and demands of a variety of services such as transportation, law enforcement, and emergency response. An understanding of population trends and location of population concentrations is important for making projections regarding potential impacts in the event of a disaster.
In 2010, Traverse County had a population of 3,558 residents, averaging 6 persons per square mile. Wheaton, the largest city in the county and the county seat, has a population of 1,424.
Traverse County’s population decreased 7% between 1990 and 2000, and another 14% from 2000 to 2010. The county’s population has decreased every decade since 1940, falling 57% between 1940 and 2010. Table 5 below shows the population change in Traverse County between 1940 and 2010.
Table 5. Traverse County Population Change (1940-2010) Change Change 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 1940- 2000- 2010 2010 8,283 8,053 7,503 6,254 5,542 4,463 4,134 3,558 -57% -14% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014
According to the Minnesota State Demographic Center, Traverse County’s population is projected to fall by 2.6% between 2015 and 2045. Table 6 below shows population projections for Traverse County until 2045.
Table 6. Traverse County Population Projections (2015-2045) Projected 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 Change 2015-2045 3,603 3,564 3,554 3,549 3,539 3,518 3,508 -2.6% Source: Minnesota State Demographic Center, 2014
3.6 Economy Traverse County is dominated by the Education, Health Services, Trade, Transportation, and Utilities industries, with over 63% of jobs in the county. A major industrial company in Traverse County is SCC Custom Molding LLC. Other major employers are the Sanford Wheaton Medical Center, Browns Valley Health Center, the Wheaton Public School District, and Browns Valley Public Schools.
According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, the number of jobs in the county fell by over 11% between 2002 and 2012. Table 7 provides an overview of the annual average employment by major industry sector in Traverse County.
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Table 7. Annual Average Employment by Major Industry Sector, Traverse County Number of Jobs/ Number of Jobs/ Industry Percent of Total Percent of Total (2002) (2012) Natural Resources and Mining 31/3% 76/7% Construction 30/2% 40/4% Manufacturing 70/6% 31/3% Trade, Transportation, Utilities 310/26% 345/32% Financial Activities 48/4% 36/3% Education and Health Services NA 332/31% Leisure and Hospitality 59/5% 38/4% Public Administration NA 135/13% Other Services 35/3% 44/4% Total Number of Jobs: 1,213 1,077 Source: Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development
The 2012 median household income was $44,025 compared to a Minnesota average of $58,906. The median household income in Traverse County increased over 43% from 2000 to 2012. In 2012, the percent of the county’s population living below the poverty level was 9.2%, compared to 11.4% for the state of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development reported that 76% of the workforce in Traverse County was employed in the private sector in 2012.
3.7 Traverse County Community Services & Infrastructure The following section provides an overview on community services and infrastructure within Traverse County. Examples of community services include healthcare and public safety, while examples of community infrastructure include power utilities, water and sewer facilities, and the transportation network. Figure 2 below shows critical facilities in the county, and tables of all critical facilities can be found in Appendix B.
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Figure 2. Critical Facilities in Traverse County
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3.7.1 Health Care Providers Sanford Health provides health care to county residents, with a clinic and emergency services in Wheaton. Nursing homes are located in Wheaton and Browns Valley.
Ambulance services are available in Wheaton, Browns Valley, Graceville and Breckenridge.
Figure A - 14 in Appendix A depicts health services within Traverse County.
3.7.2 Public Safety Providers/Government Services The Traverse County Sheriff’s Department in Wheaton provides policing services to all townships in the county and the cities of Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley. The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county. Browns Valley and Wheaton have their own police departments. Figure A - 4 in Appendix A depicts government and emergency facilities, including city halls, fire departments, police departments, sheriff’s department, and the Traverse County Courthouse.
Figure 3 shows fire departments and their fire response times in Traverse County. These drive times were created using ArcGIS Network Analyst and MnDOT road data. Speed limits from the MnDOT highway speed limit database were used when available; all other roads were calculated using either 35 or 55 MPH speed limits, per MnDOT’s recommendation. According to this model, all areas in the county are within 15 minutes of a fire department.
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Figure 3. Fire Departments and Fire Response Times in Traverse County
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3.7.3 Utilities/Communications There are two electricity providers within Traverse County: Ottertail Power Company, Traverse Coop Electric.
Propane and natural gas services are available from Border States Coop, Larson Oil, Tri-County Coop, New Horizon Ag Service, and the Hoernemann Oil Company.
Established in 2004, the Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) Program, administered in coordination with the Minnesota Statewide Radio Board, manages the implementation of a 700/800 megahertz (MHz) shared digital trunked radio communication system. In Traverse County, there are 3 ARMER towers. Figure A - 6 shows the ARMER locations.
3.7.4 Transportation The county transportation system is composed of roads, highways, an airport, public transit, railroads and trails. The system is designed to serve all residents, businesses, industries and tourists.
U.S. Highway 75 runs north/south through the county, passing through Wheaton and Dumont. State Highway 27 lies parallel to Traverse Lake, continuing on through Wheaton and then heading due east.
According to MN DNR data, there are 75 bridges in Traverse County. The Traverse County Highway Department is in charge of construction and maintenance of county bridges.
Only a small section of railroad runs through Traverse County, in the northeastern corner adjacent to Minnesota Highway 9 and passing through the town of Tintah. This section is operated by Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF), a nationally operated railroad company that serves a variety of industrial and commercial customers.
Traverse County has 1 airport, located southwest of and owned by the city of Wheaton. There are 2 runways: 1 asphalt and 1 turf. The asphalt runway is 3,298′ long and the turf runway is 1,953′ long.
Public Transportation in the county is available through Rainbow Rider Transit. The system serves 6 counties in the region, with handicapped accessible buses and a volunteer driver program. Wheaton is also home to Raguse Bus Lines Inc.
3.8 Land Use and Ownership Traverse County has a total of 375,040 acres, of which 2% are covered by water. Cultivated agricultural land is predominant, covering 87% of the county. Grasslands, shrubs, and wetlands compose 4%, while forested areas are only 1%. Nearly 5% of the county is classified as urban (University of Minnesota, 2000).
According to the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture, 458 farms exist in the county, covering 348,429 acres (93% of the county). Of this farming land, 96% is cropland and 4% is classified as “other uses.” The number of farms in the county decreased by 4% between 2007 and 2012, while the total acres farmed
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increased by 6% (Census of Agriculture, 2012). Feedlots in Traverse County are mapped in Figure A - 27 in Appendix A.
Land ownership categories from the 2008 U.S. Geological Survey GAP (Gap Analysis Program) are shown in Figure A - 9 (Appendix A). Land cover is also mapped in Figure A - 8.
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Section 4 – Risk Assessment The goal of mitigation is to reduce the future impacts of a hazard including loss of life, property damage, disruption to local and regional economies, and the expenditure of public and private funds for recovery. Sound mitigation practices must be based on sound risk assessment. A risk assessment involves quantifying the potential loss resulting from a disaster by assessing the vulnerability of buildings, infrastructure, and people.
Basing risk assessments on the best information available is important in developing effective mitigation actions that benefit communities. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools are not only helpful in producing maps, but they also show structures at risk and may determine damage estimates for potential hazard scenarios. MN Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) mitigation staff encourages the use of GIS tools in risk assessments because they produce good information to be used in the risk assessment process. In recognition of the importance of planning in mitigation activities, FEMA created Hazards USA Multi-Hazard (Hazus-MH), a powerful GIS-based disaster risk assessment tool. This tool enables communities to predict estimated losses from floods, hurricanes and other related phenomena and to measure the impact of various mitigation practices that might help reduce those losses. Hazus-MH was used by University of Minnesota Duluth Geospatial Analysis Center staff in the flood hazard risk assessment.
This assessment identifies the characteristics and potential consequences of a disaster, how much of the community could be affected by a disaster, and the impact on community assets. A risk assessment consists of 3 components — hazard identification, risk profile, and vulnerability profile. The last step is the risk ranking for each jurisdiction.
4.1 Hazard Identification/Profile
4.1.1 Hazard Identification The cornerstone of the risk assessment is identification of the hazards that affect jurisdictions. To facilitate the planning process, several sources were employed to ensure that the natural hazards are identified prior to assessment.
The County maintenance of the plan includes continual updates of the hazards identified in the initial plan. The mitigation planning team decided to compare the hazards in the initial plan to the current publications to determine if new hazards should be considered or if some should be deleted.
Natural hazards are identified in the FEMA publication “Multi-Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment – A Cornerstone of the National Mitigation Strategy” also known as MHIRA. FEMA Region V developed a list based on state mitigation plans in the region. The list was divided into natural (Table 8) and other hazards (Table 9) as was done in the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan.
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Table 8. FEMA MHIRA Natural Hazards in the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan Flooding Hail Drought Dam/Levee Failure Lightning Extreme Heat Wildfire* Winter Storms Extreme Cold Windstorms Erosion Earthquakes Land Subsidence Tornadoes (Sinkholes & Karst) *Addressed in the State Mitigation Plan because Minnesota is a heavily forested state compared to other states in Region V.
For the purpose of this plan, FEMA defines other hazards or “man-made hazards” as technological hazards and terrorism. These are distinct from natural hazards primarily in that they originate from human activity. In contrast, while the risks presented by natural hazards may be increased or decreased as a result of human activity, they are not inherently human-induced. The term “technological hazards” refers to the origins of incidents that can arise from human activities such as the manufacture, transportation, storage, and use of hazardous materials. For the sake of simplicity, this guide assumes that technological emergencies are accidental and that their consequences are unintended. The term “terrorism” refers to intentional, criminal, and malicious acts. There is no single, universally accepted definition of terrorism, and it can be interpreted in many ways. For the purposes of this plan, FEMA refers to “terrorism” as the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), including biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological weapons; arson, incendiary, explosive, and armed attacks; industrial sabotage and intentional hazardous materials releases; and “cyber terrorism.”
Table 9. FEMA MHIRA Other Hazards in the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan Nuclear Generating Plant Ground and Surface Water Terrorism Incidents Supply Contamination* Hazardous Materials Infectious Disease Outbreak Incidents Fires (Structures and Vehicles) Transportation Incidents *Addressed in the State Hazard Mitigation Plan because Minnesota has made a high investment in its prized resource, water.
4.1.2 Vulnerability Assessment by Jurisdiction The planning team met multiple times to review and update the hazards faced by residents of Traverse County, update the existing mitigation actions published in the 2008 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, and propose new mitigation actions.
To engage in this process the planning team drew on a number of data sources. First, the planning team examined the hazards identified in the 2008 Traverse County Hazard Mitigation Plan (Table 10). The existing mitigation actions were discussed and adjusted to reflect the definitions of natural hazards used in the State of Minnesota 2014 Multi-Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment list of natural hazards. This was done in order to assure that the risks faced by Traverse County were categorized the same way as the priority hazards established by the State of Minnesota.
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Table 10. Hazards identified in the 2008 Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan
Natural Hazards Technological Hazards Violent Storms and Extreme Structure Fires Weather Conditions Radiological/Hazardous Floods Materials Drought Environmental Wildfires Utility Infectious Diseases Dam Failure Civil Disturbances/ Earthquakes Terrorism
While the MHMP mainly deals with natural hazards, this planning took place with the understanding that many non-natural hazards could occur as a result of natural disasters (i.e. disruption in electrical service due to freezing rain causing problems for both utility corporations and vulnerable populations dependent on electricity for heat).
This plan draws on a variety of data sources including the State of Minnesota and Homeland Security Emergency Management Critical Infrastructure Strategy for the State of Minnesota (2010), FEMA’s Local Mitigation Planning How-to Guide Integrating Manmade Hazards into Mitigation Planning (2003), and the State of Minnesota Multi Hazards Identification Risk Assessment.
Based on the planning team’s comparison of these two sets of hazards, the planning team developed a list of hazards faced by Traverse County to address in the 2015 plan update (Table 11).
Table 11. Hazards Included in the 2015 Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Natural Hazards Severe Summer Storms Flooding (Tornadoes, Thunderstorms, Severe Winter Storms Windstorms, and Hail) Wildfire Extreme Heat Extreme Cold Drought Dam Failure Man-made Hazards Structure Fires Hazardous Materials Infectious Diseases Ground & Surface Water Supply Terrorism Contamination
The committee drew on the 2013 Traverse County Threat and Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA) rankings to prioritize each hazard for inclusion in the plan. The THIRA-ranked hazards are based on the Calculated Priority Risk Index, or CPRI. The methodology of the CPRI is outlined below.
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4.1.3 Calculated Priority Risk Index The vulnerability assessment builds upon the previously developed hazard information by identifying the community assets and development trends and intersecting them with the hazard profiles to assess the potential amount of damage that could be caused by each hazard event. This concept is generally illustrated in Figure 4. A summary of Calculated Priority Risk Index (CPRI) Categories and Risk Levels is shown in Table 12.
Figure 4. Conceptual Depiction of a Vulnerability Analysis
Definitions of CPRI Categories in Table 12 Probability – a guide to predict how often a random event will occur. Annual probabilities are expressed between 0.001 or less (low) up to 1 (high). An annual probability of 1 predicts that a natural hazard will occur at least once per year.
Magnitude/Severity – indicates the impact to a community through potential fatalities, injuries, property losses, and/or losses of services. The vulnerability assessment gives information that is helpful in making this determination for each community.
Warning Time – plays a factor in the ability to prepare for a potential disaster and to warn the public. The assumption is that more warning time allows for more emergency preparations and public information.
Duration – relates to the span of time local, state, and/or federal assistance will be necessary to prepare, respond, and recover from a potential disaster event.
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Table 12. Summary of Calculated Priority Risk Index (CPRI) Categories and Risk Levels DEGREE OF RISK Assigned CPRI Weighting Category Level ID Description Index Value Factor Extremely rare with no documented history of Unlikely occurrences or events. Annual probability of less than 1 0.001
Rare occurrences with at least one documented or
Possible anecdotal historic event. Annual probability that is 2 45%
between 0.01 and 0.001. Occasional occurrences with at least two or more Probability Likely documented historic events. Annual probability that is 3 between 0.1 and 0.01. Frequent events with a well-documented history of Highly Likely 4 occurrence. Annual probability that is greater than 0.1. Negligible property damages (less than 5% of critical and non-critical facilities and infrastructure). Negligible Injuries or illnesses are treatable with first aid and 1 there are no deaths. Negligible quality of life lost. Shutdown of critical facilities for less than 24 hours. Slight property damages (greater than 5% and less than
25% of critical and non-critical facilities and
infrastructure). Injuries or illnesses do not result in 2 Limited permanent disability and there are no deaths.
Moderate quality of life lost. Shut down of critical
facilities for more than 1 day and less than 1 week. Moderate property damages (greater than 25% and less than 50% of critical and non-critical facilities and 30% Magnitude/Severity Critical infrastructure). Injuries or illnesses result in permanent 3 disability and at least one death. Shut down of critical facilities for more than 1 week and less than 1 month. Severe property damages (greater than 50% of critical and non-critical facilities and infrastructure). Injuries or Catastrophic illnesses result in permanent disability and multiple 4 deaths. Shut down of critical facilities for more than 1 month. Less than 6
Self-explanatory. 4 hours
6 to 12 hours Self-explanatory. 3
12 to 24 Self-explanatory. 2 15% hours
WarningTime More than 24 Self-explanatory. 1 hours Less than 6 Self-explanatory. 1 hours
Less than 24 Self-explanatory. 2
hours
10% Less than one Self-explanatory. 3 Duration week More than Self-explanatory 4 one week
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The prioritized list of hazards is presented in Table 13 and is based on the ranking of hazards in the 2013 Traverse County THIRA.
Table 13. Priorities of Risks Faced by Traverse County Natural Hazards Natural Hazards Type Risk Severity Type Risk Severity
Flooding High Wildfire Medium Severe Medium Drought Low Thunderstorms Tornadoes & Medium Dam Failure Low Windstorms Hail Medium Earthquake Low Severe Winter Medium Storms Man-made Hazards Man-made Hazards Type Risk Severity Type Risk Severity Ground & Structure Fires Medium Surface Water Medium Contamination Infectious Hazardous Medium Medium Diseases Materials Terrorism Low
4.1.4 Hazard Profiling Concept of Planning The risk assessments identify the characteristics and potential consequences of a disaster, how much of the community could be affected by a disaster, and the impact on community assets. A risk assessment consists of 3 components—hazard identification, risk profile, and vulnerability profile. The last step is the risk ranking for each jurisdiction.
4.1.5 GIS and Hazus-MH The risk analysis step in this assessment quantifies the risk to the population, infrastructure, and economy of the community. Hazards that can be geographically identified (wildland fires, windstorms, tornadoes, hail, floods) were mapped.
Hazus-MH was used to estimate the damages incurred for a 100-year flood event and for general asset assessment. Hazus-MH also generates a combination of site-specific and aggregated loss estimates for the entire county due to a 100-year flood event. Aggregate inventory loss estimates, which include building stock analyses, are based upon the assumption that building stock is evenly distributed across each census block. Therefore, it is possible that overestimates of damage will occur in some parts of areas while underestimates will occur in other areas. With this in mind, total loss estimates tend to be more reliable over larger geographic areas (groups of many blocks) than for individual census blocks. It is important to note that Hazus-MH is not intended to be a substitute for detailed engineering studies. Rather, it is intended to serve as a planning aid for communities interested in assessing their risk to flood-, earthquake-, and hurricane-related hazards. This documentation does not provide full details on
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the processes and procedures completed in the development of this project. It is only intended to highlight the major steps that were followed during the project.
Site-specific analysis is based upon loss estimations for individual structures. For flooding, analysis of site-specific structures takes into account the depth of water in relation to the structure. Hazus-MH also takes into account the actual dollar exposure to the structure for the costs of building reconstruction, content, and inventory. However, damages are based upon the assumption that each structure will fall into a structural class, and structures in each class will respond in a similar fashion to a specific depth of flooding. Site-specific analysis is also based upon a point location rather than a polygon, therefore the model does not account for the percentage of a building that is inundated. These assumptions suggest that the loss estimates for site-specific structures as well as for aggregate structural losses need to be viewed as approximations of losses that are subject to considerable variability rather than as exact engineering estimates of losses to individual structures.
4.1.6 National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Records Historical storm event data was compiled from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). NCDC records are estimates of damage reported to the National Weather Service (NWS) from various local, state, and federal sources. However, these estimates are often preliminary in nature and may not match the final assessment of economic and property losses related to given weather events.
The NCDC data included 219 reported events in Traverse County between 1955 and November of 2014. However, some weather event categories only had available data going back as recent as 1996. No records before 1955 were available. A summary table of events related to each hazard type is included in the hazard profile sections that follow. A full table listing all events, including additional details, is included in Appendix C. NCDC hazard categories used in this plan are listed in Table 14.
Table 14. National Climatic Data Center Historical Hazards Hazard Tornado Hail Storm Thunderstorm Wind Flood/Flash Flood Severe Snow Events Ice Storms Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Excessive Heat
4.1.7 FEMA Declared Disasters Another historical perspective is derived from FEMA-declared disasters. Fourteen federal disaster declarations in Traverse County have been made between 1965 and 2014 (Figure 5).
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Figure 5. FEMA-Declared Disasters in Minnesota
Table 15 and Table 16 show the details of the disasters including payments for Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA), listed under the flooding and severe storms profiles. No declarations were made for the other storms listed in the NCDC database. Reviewing the federal payments for damages from the declared disasters is a way of correlating the impact from the NCDC report.
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Table 15. FEMA-Declared Major Disasters in Traverse County (1965-2014) Total PA Total PA Declaration Individual Obligated by Obligated by Individual Date and Incident Assistance in Incident FEMA for FEMA for Assistance in Disaster Period Traverse Disaster in Disaster in Minnesota Number County Minnesota Traverse County Severe Storms, DR-4131 6/20/2013- Straight-line $15,792,574 $56,581 $0 $0 7/25/2013 6/26/2013 Winds, Flooding Severe DR-1982 3/16/2011- Storms, $23,801,266 $488,300 $0 $0 5/10/2011 5/25/2011 Flooding DR-1900 3/1/2010- Flooding $14,685,508 $408,722 $0 $0 4/19/2010 4/26/2010 Severe DR-1830 3/16/2009- Storms, $47,565,204 $473,995 $2,441,476 $44,907 4/9/2009 5/22/2009 Flooding Severe Winter DR-1622 11/27/2005- $8,946,695 $73,225 $0 $0 Storm 1/4/2005 11/29/2005 DR-1370 3/23/2001- Flooding $43,128,212 $648,899 $3,650,492 $55,550 5/16/2001 7/3/2001 Severe DR-1175 3/21/1997- Storms, $230,488,750 Unknown Unknown Unknown 4/8/1997 5/24/1997 Flooding Severe Winter DR-1158 1/3/1997- Storms, Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 1/16/1997 2/3/1997 Blizzards Storms, DR-1078 10/23/1995- $4,291,171 Unknown Unknown Unknown Freezing Rain 1/5/1996 10/24/1995 Flooding, DR-993 5/6/1993- Severe Storm, $98,169,850 Unknown Unknown Unknown 6/11/1993 8/25/1993 Tornadoes DR-824 3/29/1989- Flooding $6,730,164 Unknown Unknown Unknown 5/8/1989 5/8/1989 Storms, Ice Jams, DR-555 4/22/1978 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Snowmelt, 4/22/1978 Flooding DR-255 Flooding 4/18/1969 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 4/18/1969 DR-188 Flooding 4/11/1965 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 4/11/1965 * Data provided by FEMA Region V on December 2, 2014, MN HSEM on December 10, 2014, and https://www.fema.gov/media- library/assets/documents/28331 accessed on December 10, 2014. Values are estimates collected at the time of the disaster.
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Table 16. FEMA-Declared Emergencies in Traverse County (1976-2014) Declaration Date Individual Assistance Public Assistance Incident and Disaster Incident Period in Minnesota (all affected areas) Number EM-3310 3/1/2010- Flooding Unknown Unknown 3/19/2010 4/26/2010 Severe Storms, EM-3304 3/16/2009- Unknown $544,794 Flooding 3/26/2009 5/22/2009 Hurricane Katrina 09/13/2005 08/29/2005 to $0 $2,470,003 Evacuation EM-3242 10/1/2005 06/17/1976 Drought 06/17/1976 Unknown Unknown EM-3013 *Note the Public Assistance totals are for ALL counties affected in the disaster. Data accessed Dec. 29, 2014 at https://www.fema.gov/disasters/grid/state-tribal-government/57?field_disaster_type_term_tid_1=All
Table 17 depicts the historical projects in Traverse County resulting from hazard mitigation funding.
Table 17. Historical Hazard Mitigation Funding in Traverse County Federal Year Project Description Sub-Grantee Share Proposal to acquire and demolish or relocate 24 structures Browns 1993 plus acquire 1 vacant lot. At completion, the total number of $788,646 Valley acquired (or otherwise mitigated) parcels is 23. Traverse 1996 Conversion of 13.3 miles of overhead lines to underground. $590,420 Electric Co. Original project application submitted had to be voided because wrong subgrantee was entered.
Traverse County hired a contractor to complete the mitigation planning process and submit a mitigation planning document Traverse 2004 for the county. The following communities were asked to $28,092 County particpatate: Traverse County; Arthuir Twp; Clifton Twp; Croke Twp; Dollymount Twp.; Folsom Twp; Lake Valley; Leaonardsville Twp; Munsom twp; Parnell Twp; Redpath Twp; Tara Twp; Taylor Twp; Tintah Twp; Walls Twp; Winsdor Twp; City of Browns Valley; City of Dumont; and City of Wheaton 5.0 miles of older three phase overhead line will be replaces with an equal amount to 4/0 Al three phase underground line. The line will be places on private right-of-way using a cable plow. Hardtop roads will be bored. Existing poles will be Traverse $305,835 2007 salvaged if in good condition, if not they will be disposed of. Electric Co-
Op The area experiences frequent ice buildup on the conductors and winds also negatively impact and break the lines, cutting off many customers during winter storms.
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4.2 Vulnerability Assessment
4.2.1 Asset Inventory The Hazus-MH defaults, critical facilities, and essential facilities have been updated based on the most recent available data sources. The essential facility updates (schools, medical care facilities, fire stations, and police stations) were integrated into the Hazus-MH input database. Other critical facilities identified by the county were geocoded and overlaid with the Hazus-MH flood model output.
Critical facilities are defined by the Department of Homeland Security in the Automated Critical Asset Management System (ACAMS). Traverse County has used the 18 sectors included in ACAMS to identify their critical infrastructure and key resources.
Table 18 below identifies the critical facilities that were included in the analysis. Essential facilities are a subset of critical facilities. Names and locations of all critical facilities are found in Appendix B. Figure 6 below maps critical facilities in Wheaton, and Figure 7 maps critical facilities in Browns Valley.
Table 18. Traverse County Critical Infrastructure and Facilities Number of ACAMS Category Facilities Agriculture and Food 3 Banking and Finance 4 Chemical and Hazardous 25 Materials Commercial Facilities 0 Communications 2 Dams 5 Defense Industrial Base 0 Emergency Services 10 Energy 2 Government Facilities 10 Healthcare and Public Health 5 Information Technology 0 Manufacturing 3 National Monuments and Icons 2 Nuclear 0 Postal and Shipping 3 Transportation 3 Water 3
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Figure 6. Critical Facilities in the City of Wheaton
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Figure 7. Critical Facilities in the City of Browns Valley
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4.2.2 Facility Replacement Costs Hazus-MH MR4 contains the base aggregated general building stock used for estimating building exposure. Hazus-MH MR4 contains aggregated general building stock updated to Dun & Bradstreet 2006 and building valuations were updated to R.S. Means 2006. Building counts based on census housing unit counts are available for RES1 (single-family dwellings) and RES2 (manufactured housing) classifications instead of actual building counts.
Facility replacement costs and total building exposure are identified in Table 19, which also includes the estimated number of buildings within each occupancy class as calculated by Hazus general building stock.
Table 19. Traverse County Total Building Exposure Estimated Total Building Exposure General Occupancy Total Buildings (in thousands of dollars) Agriculture 53 $12,714 Commercial 134 $43,904 Education 5 $5,074 Government 10 $5,297 Industrial 30 $15,334 Religious/Non-Profit 18 $8,224 Residential 3,134 $196,433 Total: 3,384 $286,980
4.3 Future Development Because Traverse County is vulnerable to a variety of natural and technological hazards, the county government—in partnership with state government—must make a commitment to prepare for the management of these types of events. Traverse County is committed to ensuring that county elected and appointed officials become informed leaders regarding community hazards so that they are better prepared to set and direct policies for emergency management and county response.
During the past 5 years, some housing development has occurred along Lake Traverse, but all development has abided by the rules and regulations of the zoning committee. New houses must be a certain distance from the water and a certain elevation above the water.
The Traverse County Emergency Management Director will work to keep the jurisdictions covered by the MHMP engaged and informed during the plan’s 5-year planning cycle. By keeping jurisdictional leaders actively involved in the monitoring, evaluation and update of the MHMP, they will keep their local governments aware of the hazards that face their communities and how to mitigate those hazards through planning and project implementation. Each jurisdiction has identified mitigation strategies that they will seek to implement in their communities (see Appendix H: Mitigation Actions by Jurisdiction). Jurisdictions will include considerations for hazard mitigation in relation to future development when updating local comprehensive plans or other plans that may influence such development.
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4.4 Hazard Profiles
4.4.1 Flash Flood and Riverine Flood Flooding is a significant natural hazard throughout the United States. The type, magnitude, and severity of flooding are functions of the amount and distribution of precipitation over a given area, the rate at which precipitation infiltrates the ground, the geometry and hydrology of the catchment, and flow dynamics and conditions in and along the river channel. Upstream floods, also called flash floods, occur in the upper parts of drainage basins and are generally characterized by periods of intense rainfall over a short duration. These floods arise with very little warning and often result in locally intense damage, and sometimes loss of life, due to the high energy of the flowing water. Flood waters can snap trees, topple buildings, and easily move large boulders or other structures. Six inches of rushing water can upend a person; another 18 inches might carry off a car. Generally, upstream floods cause damage over relatively localized areas, but they can be quite severe. Urban flooding is a type of upstream flood, which involves the overflow of storm drain systems and can be the result of inadequate drainage combined with heavy rainfall or rapid snowmelt. Upstream or flash floods can occur at any time of the year in Minnesota, but they are most common in the spring and summer.
Downstream floods, sometimes called riverine floods, refer to floods on large rivers at locations with large upstream catchments. Downstream floods are typically associated with precipitation events that are of relatively long duration and occur over large areas. Flooding on small tributary streams may be limited, but the contribution of increased runoff may result in a large flood downstream. The lag time between precipitation and the flood peak is much longer for downstream floods than for upstream floods, generally providing ample warning for people to move to safe locations and, to some extent, secure some property against damage.
Flood History in Traverse County The most severe flooding in Traverse County occurs when there is excess rainfall, ice blockage of channels, or rapid spring snow melt. Flood damage may also be associated with poorly maintained or undersized ditches, excess drainage or lack of retention structures. This affects agricultural land and causes road washouts. Because of Traverse County’s flat landscape, overland flooding also occurs.
In 1995 an ice and debris jam formed on the Little Minnesota River in Browns Valley. Approximately 60 structures were inundated. Three families were evacuated from their homes. The total damage expense from this event was $150,000.
The 1997 spring flooding along the upper reaches of the Minnesota River and Red River of the North broke most existing flood records in Minnesota. FEMA’s estimate of public infrastructure damage in Minnesota from the flood was approximately $300 million. Before the water receded, 58 of Minnesota's 87 counties were declared federal disaster areas. The American Red Cross reported that 23,263 families were affected by the massive floods. Total flood damages and associated economic impacts were estimated to be as high as $2 billion. Factors that contributed to the 1997 flooding include: heavy autumn precipitation, extraordinary winter snowfall, less than ideal snowmelt scenario, and heavy early spring precipitation. Some have identified the drainage of wetlands and agricultural and urban uses of
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land as factors causing the flood to reach record proportions. Wetlands and land use can have significant effects on how much and how soon water runs off into streams and rivers, particularly when climatic conditions are near average or "normal." However, after receiving record or near-record amounts of precipitation over thousands of square miles of land in the river basin, the resulting runoff volume simply overwhelmed the hydrologic system and made wetland drainage and land use practices relatively insignificant when describing causes of the 1997 record flooding.
The 2001 flood was another 100-year flood event in Traverse County. Factors that contributed to the 2001 flooding include: significant autumn precipitation, heavy winter snowfall, less than ideal snowmelt scenario, and record-breaking April precipitation.
Figure 8. Flooded Home and Car in Browns Valley, March 2007 In March 2007, ice jams and rapid snowmelt sent the Little Minnesota River over its banks, inundating homes in Browns Valley. See Figure 8 (Gunderson, 2007). At least 100 people were evacuated. Boats were used to evacuate people from their homes. Some were taken to a Red Cross emergency shelter at Browns Valley School. Water was seen flowing into the windows on the main floor of some homes. The north side of Browns Valley was the hardest hit. The National Weather Service doesn't have a gauge on the Little Minnesota at Browns Valley, so it is unclear how high the river was. For most of the last century Browns Valley has had a USGS stream flow gauge located along the Little Minnesota River about 2 miles northwest of town. It was removed in 2002 during state and federal budget tightening. Compared to the damage done in Browns Valley, the savings were miniscule. The stream flow gauge cost $12,000 a year to operate. According to the NCDC, the flood caused $5 million in property damage. The monitor wouldn't have prevented the flood, but could have provided useful information to help prepare.
Flooding has been part of 11 of the 14 presidential disaster declarations in Traverse County. Since 2011, there have been 2 disaster declarations in the county due to flooding: DR-1982 in 2011 and DR-4131 in 2013. Traverse County received $488,300 in Public Assistance funds after DR-1982. The amount received for DR-4131 is unknown at this time.
The NCDC recorded 2 flash floods and 6 floods in Traverse County between 1997 and November 2014.
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Table 20 below lists Traverse County’s historical floods since 1997 as recorded by the NCDC.
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Table 20. Traverse County Historical Floods (1997-November 2014) Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 6/22/2011 Flood 0 0 0 Browns Valley 3/14/2007 Flash Flood 0 0 5M Wheaton 6/2/2005 Flash Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/7/2001 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/5/1997 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/1/1997 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/27/1997 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/27/1997 Flood 0 0 0 Source: National Climatic Data Center
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service provides information from gage locations at points along various rivers across the United States. There are 2 stream gages in the county, on the Mustinka River above Wheaton and on the Bois de Sioux River near White Rock, South Dakota. Historical flood crest data for these gages is provided in Table 21.
Table 21. Historical Flood Crests for USGS gaging stations in Traverse County
Historical Flood Crests for Mustinka Historical Flood Crests for Bois de River above Wheaton Sioux River near White Rock, SD
Gage Height Gage Height Date Date (Feet) (Feet) 4/6/2011 94.61 4/20/1997 16.90 3/25/2009 93.90 4/15/2011 16.04 3/19/2010 93.85 4/13/2001 15.3 4/1/2006 91.47 4/20/1969 15.07 4/3/2007 90.07 4/1/2009 15.03 6/16/2005 86.82 5/7/1986 12.12 4/24/2013 85.70 4/8/1994 11.88 6/26/2003 85.49 4/5/1995 11.85 6/14/2008 85.46 4/19/1978 11.59 7/11/2002 83.50 4/6/1962 11.52
Vulnerability and Hazus-MH Hazard Analysis Hazus-MH was used to estimate the damages incurred for a 100-year flood event in Traverse County using a Q3 and a 10-meter DEM (digital elevation model) to create a flood depth grid.
Traverse County specific building data was sourced from parcel tax databases and building location point databases, included building valuations and occupancy class. Building counts were aggregated from the
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individual parcel records to the relevant census administrative boundaries. There are an estimated 3,384 buildings in the region with a total replacement value (excluding contents) of $287 million (2006 dollars). Approximately 93% of the buildings (and 68% of the building value) are associated with residential housing. Using the Traverse County updated general building stock, the Hazus model reported an estimated 8 buildings will be at least moderately damaged. This is over 6% of the total number of buildings in the scenario. There are an estimated 2 buildings that will be completely destroyed.
The total economic loss estimated for the flood is $9 million dollars, which represents 12% of the total replacement value of the scenario buildings. Building losses are broken into 2 categories: direct building losses and business interruption losses. The direct building losses are the estimated costs to repair or replace the damage caused to the building and its contents. The business interruption losses are associated with inability to operate a business because of the damage sustained during the flood. Business interruption losses also include the temporary living expenses for those people displaced from their homes because of the flood. The total building-related losses were $9 million dollars. None of the estimated losses were related to business interruption of the region. Residential occupancies made up 47% of the total loss.
The reported building counts should be interpreted as degrees of loss rather than an exact number of buildings exposed to flooding. These numbers were derived from aggregate building inventories which are assumed to be dispersed evenly across census blocks. Hazus-MH requires that a predetermined amount of square footage of a typical building sustain damage in order to produce a damaged building count. If only a minimal amount of damage to buildings is predicted, it is possible to see zero damaged building counts while also seeing economic losses. The total estimated number of damaged buildings, total building losses, and estimated total economic losses are shown in Table 22. The distribution of economic losses for Traverse County is depicted in Figure 9.
Table 22. Traverse County Total Economic Loss from 100-Year Flood Total Building Total Economic General Estimated Total Damaged Building Loss Exposure Loss (In Occupancy Total Buildings Buildings (In $1000s) (In $1000s) $1000s) Agricultural 53 0 $12,714 $639 $136 Commercial 134 0 $43,904 $3,008 $857 Education 5 0 $5,074 $0 $0 Government 10 0 $5,297 $215 $27 Industrial 30 0 $15,334 $297 $120 Religious/Non- 18 0 $8,224 $691 $88 Profit Residential 3,134 8 $196,433 $4,307 $2,740 Total 3,384 8 $286,980 $9,157 $3,968
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Figure 9. Distribution of Estimated Economic Loss for Traverse County in 100-Year Flood
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Census blocks of concern should be reviewed in more detail to determine the actual percentage of facilities that fall within the flood hazard areas. The aggregate losses reported in this study may be overstated because values are distributed evenly in a census block. The 5 census blocks showing the highest estimated loss values are shown in Table 23, with their spatial extents shown in Figure 10, Figure 11, Figure 12, Figure 13, and Figure 14.
Table 23. Traverse County Census Blocks with the Greatest Estimated Losses in the 100-Year Floodplain Census Block Total Estimated City Number Loss 271559602002032 $1,627,000 Browns Valley 271559602002030 $1,010,000 Browns Valley 271559602002033 $446,000 Browns Valley 271559602001075 $401,000 Dumont 271559602001191 $367,000 Browns Valley
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Figure 10. Census Block #271559602002032 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley
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Figure 11. Census Block #271559602002030 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley
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Figure 12. Census Block #271559602002033 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley
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Figure 13. Census Block #271559602001075 and 100-Year Floodplain in Dumont
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Figure 14. Census Block #271559602001191 and 100-Year Floodplain near Browns Valley
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Hazus-MH Essential Facility Loss Analysis Essential facilities encounter the same impacts as other buildings within the flood boundary: structural failure, extensive water damage to the facility, and loss of facility functionality (i.e. a damaged police station will no longer be able to serve the community). Two of the essential facilities (care facilities, fire stations, police stations, and schools) included in the Hazus-MH analysis fall within the flood boundary: the Dumont Fire Department and the Tintah Fire Department, with the model predicting “at least moderate” damage in addition to loss of use (Figure 15, Figure 16, and Table 24).
Table 24. Traverse County Critical Infrastructure within estimated 100-Year Flood Boundary Type Name City Fire Station Dumont Fire Department Dumont Fire Station Tintah Fire Department Tintah
Figure 15. Dumont Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain
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Figure 16. Tintah Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain
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Hazus-MH Shelter Requirement Analysis Hazus-MH estimates the number of households that are expected to be displaced from their homes due to the flood and associated potential evacuation. Hazus-MH also estimates those displaced people that may require accommodations in temporary public shelters. The model estimates 156 households may be displaced due to the flood. Displacement includes households evacuated from within or very near to the inundated area. Of these, the model estimates 144 people (out of a total 2000 census population of 4,134) may seek temporary shelter in public shelters.
Hazus-MH Debris Generation Analysis Hazus estimates the amount of debris that may be generated by the flood. The model breaks debris into 3 general categories: 1) Finishes (dry wall, insulation, etc.), 2) Structural (wood, brick, etc.) and 3) Foundations (concrete slab, concrete block, rebar, etc.). This distinction is made because of the different types of material handling equipment required to handle the debris.
The model estimates that a total of 1,162 tons of debris would be generated. Of the total amount, Finishes composes 52% of the total; Structural composes 25% of the total. If the debris tonnage is converted into an estimated number of truckloads, it will require 46 truckloads (at 25 tons/truck) to remove the debris generated by the flood.
Flooding and Climate Change As Minnesota’s climate changes, the quantity and character of precipitation is changing. Average precipitation has increased in the Midwest since 1900, with more increases in recent years. The Midwest has seen a 45% increase in very heavy precipitation (defined as the heaviest 1% of all daily events) from 1958 to 2011 (National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013). This precipitation change has led to amplified magnitudes of flooding. Increased precipitation may also show seasonal changes, trending toward wetter springs and drier summers and falls. An example of a recent year with this character was 2012, when many MN counties were eligible for federal disaster assistance for drought, while others were eligible for flooding, and 7 were eligible for both in the same year (Seeley, 2013). In 2007, 24 Minnesota counties received drought designation, while 7 counties were declared flood disasters. In 2012, 55 Minnesota counties received federal drought designation at the same time 11 counties declared flood emergencies. In addition, the yearly frequency of the largest storms – those with 3 inches or more of rainfall in a single day – has more than doubled in just over 50 years. In the past decade, such dramatic rains have increased by more than 7% (MN Environmental Quality Board, 2014).
In the last decade, southeastern Minnesota has experienced three 1000-year floods: in September 2004, August 2007, and September 2010 (Meador, 2013). The 2004 flood occurred when parts of south central Minnesota received over 8 inches of precipitation. Faribault and Freeborn counties received over 10 inches in 36 hours. The deluge led to numerous reports of stream flooding, urban flooding, mudslides, and road closures (MN DNR, 2004). During the 2007 event, 15.10 inches fell in 24 hours in Houston County, the largest 24-hour rainfall total ever recorded by an official National Weather Service reporting location. The previous Minnesota record was 10.84 inches in 1972. The resulting flooding from the 2007 rainfall event caused 7 fatalities (MN DNR, 2007). In September 2010, a rainfall event on the 22-23rd resulted in more than 6 inches of rain falling over 5,000 square miles in southern Minnesota. Rainfall
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totals of more than 8 inches were reported in portions of 10 counties. The heavy rain, falling on soils already sodden from a wet summer, led to numerous reports of major rural and urban flooding. For many monitoring locations in southern Minnesota, stream discharge resulting from the deluge was the highest ever seen during an autumn flood event (Minnesota Climatology Working Group, 2010).
Relationship to other Hazards Severe storms and blizzards - Slow moving thunderstorms and snow melt can contribute to flooding and, under the right circumstances, flash flooding.
Dam Failure - Flood events can compromise the structural integrity of dams.
Public Health - Public health can be affected as a result of wastewater spills due to flooding or power failures.
Water Main Breaks - Surges in water pressure as a result of water pumps starting after power outages can lead to water main breaks.
Plans and Programs in Place National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) - The NFIP is a federal program created by Congress to mitigate future flood losses nationwide through sound, community-enforced building and zoning ordinances and to provide access to affordable, federally-backed flood insurance protection for property owners. The NFIP is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods. Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the federal government that states that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), the federal government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses. Traverse County and all of its cities participate in the NFIP. See section 5.1.1 for more information.
Local Water Management Plan - Traverse County has its own Water Management Plan, which identifies existing and potential problems and opportunities for protection, management and development of water resources and related land resources in the county. Flood damage is addressed as a priority concern in the plan.
Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System. Traverse County also promotes the use of NOAA weather radios by critical facilities and the public to receive information broadcast from the National Weather Service.
Floodplain Ordinance - Traverse County has a floodplain ordinance in place. Individual cities do not have their own floodplain ordinances.
Rain Gauge Monitoring - The Traverse Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), in cooperation with the DNR Office of State Climatology and with the assistance of volunteers, measures rainfall levels throughout Traverse County. Each participant receives a rain gauge and monthly forms to record daily
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rainfall. Additionally, each participant receives an annual report from the Climatalogy Office. This report includes the data that the participants have turned in for the year. There are 5 volunteers as well as a District Technician who record the daily rainfall on a monthly report along with any other interesting weather facts. These reports are collected by the SWCD and sent to the State Climatology Office at the University of Minnesota for further recording and long-term research.
Watershed Districts - The Bois de Sioux Watershed District and Upper Minnesota River Watershed District monitor the water resources of Traverse County. The current Redpath Project is a multi-purpose impoundment adjacent to a reach of the channelized Mustinka River in Red Path Township. The primary objective of this project is flood damage reduction, by providing about 16,000 acre feet of flood control storage of which 13,000 acre feet will be gate controlled. This is expected to reduce damages to agricultural lands, roads, and bridges downstream along the Mustinka River, Twelvemile Creek and numerous legal ditch systems.
Emergency Operations Plan - Traverse County maintains an Emergency Operations Plan which is designed as a guide for emergency operations. It is intended to assist key county/city officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under a wide range of emergency conditions, including debris management.
4.4.2 Wildfire A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire spreading through vegetative fuels, posing danger and destruction to property. Wildfires can occur in undeveloped areas and spread to urban areas where structures and other human developments are more concentrated. While some wildfires start by natural causes like lightning, humans cause 4 out of every 5 wildfires. Debris burns, arson or carelessness are the leading causes of wildfires. As a natural hazard, a wildfire is often the direct result of a lightning strike that may destroy personal property and public land areas, especially on national and state forest lands. The dangers from wildfire include the destruction of timber, property and wildlife, and injury or loss of life to people living in the affected area or using the area for recreational facilities.
While wildfires are often viewed in a negative light, they are a naturally occurring part of the environment. Wildfires are an important component of healthy forest and prairie ecology, and can be beneficial by reducing dangerously high fuel levels and putting nutrients into the ground that spur new growth. In addition, many flora species require fire for seed germination. However, as people settled this country and began clearing land and building homes, roads, railroads, and campgrounds, new artificial causes of wildfire arrived and their frequency and level of destruction increased.
Causes of wildfires vary from state to state. For example, in Florida, lightning ignites approximately half of all wildfires, while in Minnesota lightning causes less than 5% of all wildfires. These variations are due to climate, vegetation, topography, and weather. People burning debris cause most wildfires in Minnesota. However, wildfires are also caused by vehicle exhaust, sparks from trains and heavy equipment, camping, smoking, and lightning.
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Topography affects the movement of air and fire over the ground surface. The slope and shape of terrain can change the rate of speed at which the fire travels. Weather affects the probability of wildfire and has a significant effect on its behavior. Temperature, humidity and wind affect the severity and duration of wildfires.
Homes threatened by wildfire are primarily those located in the “wildland-urban interface.” This is the zone where homes and subdivisions have been located in wildland areas where wildfires can occur. While wildfires are necessary for healthy ecosystems, they burn whatever fuel is in their path, whether vegetation or buildings.
One of the most common causes of a home being damaged or destroyed by wildfire is due to radiant heat. In a wildfire, radiant heat is the heat given off by burning vegetation. The high temperatures of some wildfires can cause the deck, siding, or roof of a home to ignite, because the fire was too near the home. Studies in western wildfires have shown that approximately 85% of homes surviving a major wildfire had 30-50 feet of defensible space around them, coupled with fire-resistant roofing.
Wildfire History in Traverse County Approximately 1,600 wildfires occurred in Minnesota each year on average from 1976-2011 (MN DNR, 2011). Wildfires occur throughout the spring, summer and fall; however, most wildfires in Minnesota take place in March, April, and May. During this period, much of the existing vegetation has been killed due to winter temperatures and is dead, brown and combustible. Also, there is little green vegetation to serve as a barrier for a moving wildfire.
Wildfires in western Minnesota most often occur in grasslands. Grasslands typically include lands in conservation programs such as Reinvest In Minnesota (RIM), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP); “rough ground” that has been hayed, pastured or left wild; and public lands (such as wildlife management areas (WMAs), state parks, waterfowl production areas (WPAs), etc.). Fire danger grows when cedar trees encroach into grasslands. These trees can add a considerable amount of fuel load.
Between 1985 and April, 2014, the Minnesota DNR tracked one wildfire in Traverse County. The fire occurred in April 1987, burning 50 acres. Its cause was incendiary/arson. This data includes fires not only on state lands, but also rural private lands for which there is not another agency with primary responsibility. Wildfires that are not included in this data are those that occur on federal and Native American lands, and those that are responded to by local fire departments.
Wildfire and Climate Change Temperatures are predicted to rise in the state, which could lead to more extreme heat events and associated wildfire risks. As Minnesota’s climate changes, weather fluctuations between drought and extreme rain events and increasing temperatures will result in changes to forest composition and/or distribution. These fluctuations can lead to dry conditions that may cause increased fire risk in both grassland and forest environments.
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Vulnerability Wildland fires can occur anywhere in Traverse County, however as the majority of the land is in agricultural land use, a wildland fire would be rare except for the possibility of a small machine-ignited fire, a prescribed burn that got out of control, or arson.
Relationship to other Hazards Public Health - Air quality is adversely affected by wildfires.
Floods / Erosion - Floods combined with landslides or severe erosion in areas with steep terrain could occur if a large fire is followed by significant rainfall.
Plans and Programs in Place Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System. Traverse County also promotes the use of NOAA weather radios by critical facilities and the public to receive information broadcast from the National Weather Service.
Burning Permits and Restrictions - Traverse County implements both burning permits and restrictions.
Dry Hydrants and Water Access - Traverse County maintains a database of the locations of all dry hydrants and water access points in the county. Only one dry hydrant exists in the county, at the Browns Valley public access on Lake Traverse.
National Fire Plan - The USDA Forest Service maintains the National Fire Plan that is updated annually for effective use of national resources to combat wildfires in the United States. Further information in the National Fire Plan can be found at www.fireplan.gov.
Mutual Aid Agreements - All of the municipal fire departments in Traverse County have mutual aid agreements with each contiguous department that borders their respective fire district. Written mutual aid agreements are on file with each city.
4.4.3 Severe Winter Storms – Blizzards, Ice Storms Blizzards are storms that contain heavy snowfall, strong winds, and cold temperatures. The combination of these elements creates blinding snow with near zero visibility, deep snowdrifts, and life-threatening Figure 17. Armistice Day Blizzard, 1941 wind chill temperatures. Blizzards are the most dramatic and destructive of all winter storms that occur in Traverse County, and are generally characterized as storms bearing large amounts of snow accompanied by strong winds. They have the ability to completely immobilize travel in large areas and can be life- threatening to humans and animals in their path. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), there is no fixed temperature requirement for blizzard conditions, but the life-threatening nature of low
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temperatures in combination with blowing snow and poor visibility increases dramatically when temperatures fall below 20⁰F. Blizzards occur most frequently from early November to late March.
The greatest numbers of blizzards historically have occurred in the months of January, followed by March and November, respectively. Traverse County, along with all areas of Minnesota, is susceptible to blizzards.
Damages from blizzards can range from human and livestock deaths to significant snow removal costs. Stranded drivers can make uninformed decisions, such as leaving their vehicle to walk in conditions that put them at risk. Because of the blinding potential of heavy snowstorms, drivers are also at risk of collisions with snowplows or other road traffic. Further, drivers and homeowners without emergency plans and kits are vulnerable to the life threatening effects of heavy snow storms such as power outages, cold weather, and inability to travel, communicate, obtain goods or reach their destinations. Heavy snow loads can cause structural damage, particularly in areas where there are no building codes or for residents living in manufactured home parks. The frequency of structural fires tends to increase during heavy snow events, primarily due to utility disruptions and the use of alternative heating methods by residents.
Between the years of 1975 and 1991, there were 49 deaths associated with blizzards statewide, or an average of 3 deaths per year. Deaths attributable to blizzards have dropped in recent years, primarily due to increased weather awareness and warning capabilities across the state. The economic costs of winter storms are generally not recorded by the NCDC; however, a winter storm in November 2001 resulted in property damage of $500,000.
Ice storms are described as occasions when damaging accumulations of ice occur due to freezing rain. The terms freezing rain and freezing drizzle warn the public that a coating of ice is expected on the ground and on other exposed surfaces. Heavy accumulations of ice can bring down trees, electrical wires, telephone poles and lines, and communication towers.
Communications and power can be disrupted for days while utility companies work to repair extensive damage. Ice forming on exposed objects generally ranges from a thin glaze to coatings more than one inch thick. Even small accumulations of ice on sidewalks, streets, and highways may cause extreme hazards to Traverse County motorists and pedestrians. Sleet does not stick to trees and wires, but sleet of sufficient thickness does cause hazardous driving conditions. Heavy sleet is a relatively rare occurrence, defined as an accumulation of ice pellets covering the ground to a depth of one-half inch or more.
Ice and sleet storms typically occur from October through April. The NWS notes that over 85% of ice storm-related deaths are the result of traffic accidents. The NCDC has recorded 4 ice storm events in Traverse County from 1996-November 2014; however, no deaths, injuries, or property damage were reported (Table C - 6).
Observing winter storm watches and warnings and adequate preparation can usually lessen the impact of blizzard events in Minnesota. Technical advances made in transportation, including safer vehicles and
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improved construction and maintenance of roads, have also contributed to the decline in deaths related to blizzard events. Historical estimates of dollar losses associated with blizzard events were not available for the purposes of this analysis. However, costs incurred by state and local government for snow removal associated with disaster declaration DR-1158 (January 1997) totaled over $27,300,000 dollars. Blizzards rank 9th out of the 10 natural hazards economically impacting Minnesota according to the statewide risk analysis. The chance that another winter storm affecting Traverse County will occur is highly probable.
Severe Winter Storm History in Traverse County The total of notable events defined as heavy snows, blizzards and winter storms in Traverse County recorded by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) for the period from 1996-November 2014 is 73 (Table C - 5). No deaths, injuries, or property damages were reported in the NCDC data. However, 1 death and 1 injury were recorded by FEMA in conjunction with federal disaster declaration DR-1158 in January of 1997. Both occurred in Big Stone County. An overview of some of the most notable winter storm events in the region can be found in Table 25 below.
Table 25. West-Central Minnesota Winter Storm Events Date Type Cost Deaths Injuries Description 15” of snow fell in Browns Valley, and 17” in February 2013 Blizzard 0 0 0 Wheaton, combined with strong winds of 25-40 mph causing widespread drifting. Snowfall of 11-16”. The heavy snow combined with Winter December 2009 0 0 0 winds of 20 to 35 mph brought widespread blowing Storm and drifting snow. 6 to 11”of snow fell across west central Minnesota along with widespread blizzard conditions. Most area schools and events were canceled. Travel was March 2009 Blizzard 0 0 0 extremely difficult and not advised. This storm took a toll on area ranchers as calving season was underway. Snowfall amounts of 7 to 14” fell with 25 to 30” on the ground. Northwest winds of 25 to 45 mph brought visibilities to near zero at times along with March 2007 Blizzard 0 0 0 large drifts. Schools and businesses were closed for a couple days. Travel was not advised and several roads were closed. FEMA Disaster Declaration DR-1622. Freezing rain Winter November 2005 NA NA NA formed ice that damaged buildings and power lines. Storm Over $8 million in FEMA public assistance funds.
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Date Type Cost Deaths Injuries Description An intense area of low pressure brought widespread heavy rain of 1.5 to 2.5” to Big Stone and Traverse counties, worsening the flood situation. As the low pressure intensified and a $4 powerful cold front moved southeast, the rain April 1997 Blizzard 0 0 million changed to sleet and then snow with accumulations of 2 to 6”. Roads were either flooded or blocked by snowdrifts making travel almost impossible. Livestock losses were substantial. The total damage estimate for this blizzard was $4 million. FEMA Disaster Declaration DR-1158. The highest annual snowfall on record occurred this year with Winter over 82” of snow. Snow loads damaged and January 1997 Storm, NA 1 1 destroyed buildings. 27” of snow fell in Wheaton. Blizzard On January 3, 1 death and 1 injury occurred in neighboring Big Stone County. Storms, January 1996 Freezing NA NA NA FEMA Disaster Declaration DR-1078. Rain
Severe Winter Storms and Climate Change Historically, winter storms have had a large impact on public safety in Minnesota. This will continue, with a possible increase in snowstorm frequency and annual total snowfall. Winter weather is often a cause of power outages. Pressures on energy use, reduced reliability of services, potential outages and potential rise in household costs for energy are major climate change risks to public health.
The number of heavy snowfall years for the Midwest has fluctuated throughout the 1900-2006 time period. The periods of 1900-1920 and 1960-1985 had numerous years with snowfall totals over the 90th percentile. In the recent 3 decades, the number of heavy seasonal snowfall totals has been much lower. Despite these generally lower seasonal snowfall totals, some areas of the Midwest have still experienced significant snow totals in the most recent decade. The 100-year linear trends based on decadal values show that the upper Midwest had statistically significant (1% level) upward linear trends in snowstorm frequency from 1901 to 2000 (Kunkel, et al., Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment., 2013).
Vulnerability Winter storms affect Traverse County each year, so there is a 100% probability that the County and its jurisdictions will be affected annually. The amount of snow and ice, number of blizzard conditions, and days of sub-zero temperatures each year are unpredictable and within Traverse County the vulnerability of jurisdictions to winter storms does not vary geographically. Citizens living in climates such as these must always be prepared for situations that put their lives or property at risk. It is not always the size of the storm or the intensity of cold, but an unprepared individual with a vehicle breakdown or unmaintained garage that are at risk. Rural citizens are more vulnerable to issues with deep snow. The
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vulnerability of each jurisdiction to severe winter storms has not changed due to any development in the last 5 years.
Relationship to other Hazards Flooding - Melting from heavy snows can cause localized flooding which can impact property and infrastructure such as roads.
Wildland or Structural Fire - Heavy storms that result in large amounts of downed timber can result in an increase of dead or dying trees left standing, thus providing an increased fuel load for a wildfire. There is an additional risk of increased frequency of structural fires during heavy snow events, primarily due to utility disruptions and the use of alternative heating methods by residents.
Public Safety - Drivers stranded in snowstorms may make uninformed decisions that can put them at risk; residents who are unprepared or vulnerable may not be able to obtain goods or reach their destinations. EMS providers may be slowed by road conditions while responding to emergencies. Ice storms may result in power outages due to downed power lines, putting people at risk for cold temperature exposure and reducing the ability to spread emergency messages to the public via television, radio or computer.
Plans and Programs in Place Winter Hazard Awareness Week - Traverse County helps promote and participates in the National Weather Service’s “Winter Hazard Awareness Week” held in November each year. The event seeks to educate residents on the dangers of winter weather and how to properly deal with it.
School Closings - All schools within Traverse County have a school closing policy and communications plan in place if inclement weather or temperatures create a hazardous situation for students or staff.
Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System. Traverse County also promotes the use of NOAA weather radios by critical facilities and the public to receive information broadcast from the National Weather Service.
Burying Power Lines - Burying power lines helps eliminate loss of power due to severe summer storms. Seven miles of power lines are buried in Traverse County.
Backup Power - Generator backup power is available at Wheaton High School, Sanford Wheaton Medical Center, Browns Valley City Hall, the nursing home, and a portable generator is available for the Browns Valley sewer and water plants. Generators are needed at the courthouse, Browns Valley School, Pearson Elementary School in Wheaton, Wheaton City Hall, Wheaton Fire Department, Wheaton Sewer Plant, and Wheaton Water Plant.
Emergency Operations Plan - Traverse County maintains an Emergency Operations Plan which is designed as a guide for emergency operations. It is intended to assist key county/city officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under
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a wide range of emergency conditions, including debris management.
4.4.4 Severe Summer Storms (Lightning, Hail, Windstorms, Tornadoes)
Lightning Lightning typically occurs as a by-product of a thunderstorm. In only a few millionths of a second, the air near a lightning strike is heated to 50,000°F, a temperature hotter than the surface of the sun.
The hazard posed by lightning is significant. High winds, rainfall, and a darkening cloud cover are the warning signs for possible cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. While many lightning casualties happen at the beginning of an approaching storm, more than half of lightning deaths occur after a thunderstorm has passed. Lightning has been known to strike more than 10 miles from the storm in an area with clear sky above.
Lightning strikes the ground approximately 25 million times each year in the U.S. According to the NWS, the chance of an individual in the U.S. being killed or injured during a given year is one in 240,000 (NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, n.d.).
Lightning is the most dangerous and frequently encountered weather hazard that most people in the United States experience annually. Lightning is the second most frequent killer in the U.S., behind floods and flash floods, with nearly 100 deaths and 500 injuries annually. The lightning current can branch off to strike a person from a tree, fence, pole, or other tall object. In addition, an electrical current may be conducted through the ground to a person after lightning strikes a nearby tree, antenna, or other tall object. The current may also travel through power lines, telephone lines, or plumbing pipes to damage property or fires.
Lightning History in Traverse County The NCDC has not recorded any lightning strikes in Traverse County.
Lightning and Climate Change The projected possible intensity and frequency of tornadoes, hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds, the conditions associated with lightning, are uncertain (National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013). Severe rain events are becoming more common and may include an additional risk of lightning.
Hail Hailstorms are a product of severe thunderstorms. Hail is formed when strong updrafts within the storm carry water droplets above the freezing level, where they remain suspended and continue to grow larger, until their weight can no longer be supported by the winds. Hailstones can vary in size, depending on the strength of the updraft. The NWS uses the following descriptions when estimating hail sizes: pea size is ¼-inch, marble size is ½-inch, dime size is ¾-inch, quarter size is 1 inch, golf ball size is 1 ¾-inch, and baseball size is 2 ¾-inches. Individuals who serve as volunteer "storm spotters" for the NWS are located throughout the state, and are instructed to report hail dime size (¾-inch) or greater. Hailstorms
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can occur throughout the year; however, the months of maximum hailstorm frequency are typically between May and August. Although hailstorms rarely cause injury or loss of life, they do cause significant damage to property.
Hail History in Traverse County
Table 26 shows storms producing hail greater than 1 inch diameter in Traverse County.
Table 26. Storms producing hail of greater than 1 inch diameter in Traverse County (1955-November 2014) Hail Size Hail Size Date Injuries Date Injuries (inches) (inches) 8/6/2013 1.5 0 7/18/1998 1.75 0 9/20/2007 2 0 7/14/1998 1.75 0 9/20/2007 2.75 0 6/22/1997 1.75 0 8/27/2007 1.75 0 6/14/1985 1.75 0 7/2/2003 3.5 0 8/31/1982 1.75 0 7/2/2003 1.75 0 7/29/1955 2.75 0 Source: National Climatic Data Center
Hail and Climate Change According to the Federal Advisory Committee Draft National Climate Assessment (NCA), winter storms have increased slightly in frequency and intensity, and their tracks have shifted northward over the U.S. Other trends in severe storms, including the numbers of hurricanes and the intensity and frequency of tornadoes, hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds are uncertain. Since the impact of more frequent or intense storms can be larger than the impact of average temperature, climate scientists are actively researching the connections between climate change and severe storms (National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013).
The occurrence of very heavy precipitation has increased in Minnesota in recent decades and future projections also indicate this will continue (International Climate Adaptation Team, 2013). While it is unknown if this precipitation will occur during severe storms that produce hail, the possibility has not been ruled out.
Windstorms FEMA defines winds in excess of 58 miles per hour, excluding tornadoes, as windstorms. Straight-line winds and windstorms are used interchangeably in this plan. This hazard is treated as a different category than Tornadoes (which may also include high winds). Windstorms are among the nation's most severe natural hazards in terms of both lives lost and property damaged.
Severe winds can damage and destroy roofs, toss manufactured homes off their pier foundations, and tear light-framed homes apart. There are several different types of windstorms. A “downburst” is defined as a strong downdraft with an outrush of damaging winds on or near the earth's surface. When people experience property damage from a downburst, they often do not believe that “just wind” could have caused the damage, and they assume that they were hit by a tornado. Downbursts may have wind gusts up to 130 mph and are capable of the same damage as a medium-sized tornado. A “gust front” is
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the leading edge of the thunderstorm downdraft air. It is most prominent near the rain-free cloud base and on the leading edge of an approaching thunderstorm and is usually marked by gusty, cool winds and sometimes by blowing dust. The gust front often precedes the thunderstorm precipitation by several minutes. Straight-line winds, when associated with a thunderstorm, are most frequently found with the gust front. These winds originate as downdraft air reaches the ground and rapidly spreads out, becoming strong horizontal flow.
Windstorm History in Traverse County Traverse County frequently experiences winds blowing at over 50 knots. According to NCDC records, in Traverse County there have been 38 thunderstorm wind events reported between 1955 and November 2014, with wind speeds of up to 85 knots. These winds can inflict damage to buildings and in some cases overturn high profile vehicles.
The most recent severe wind and hail storms in Traverse County are shown in Figure 18.
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Figure 18. Most Recent Severe Wind and Hail Storms in Traverse County
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Windstorms and Climate Change Lack of high-quality long-term data sets make assessment of changes in wind speeds very difficult (Kunkel, et al., Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment, 2013). One analysis generally found no evidence of significant changes in wind speed distribution. Other trends in severe storms, including the numbers of hurricanes and the intensity and frequency of tornadoes, hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds are uncertain. Since the impact of more frequent or intense storms can be larger than the impact of average temperature, climate scientists are actively researching the connections between climate change and severe storms (National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013).
Tornadoes Tornadoes are defined as violently-rotating columns of air extending from thunderstorms to the ground, with wind speeds between 40-300 mph (Figure 19). They develop under 3 scenarios: (1) along a squall line; (2) in connection with thunderstorm squall lines during hot, humid weather; and (3) in the outer portion of a tropical cyclone. Funnel clouds are rotating columns of air not in contact with the ground; however, the column of air can reach the ground very quickly and become a tornado.
Since 2007, tornado strength in the United States is ranked based on the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF scale), replacing the Fujita scale introduced in 1971. The EF scale uses similar principles to the Fujita scale, with 6 categories from 0-5, based on wind estimates and damage caused by the tornado. The EF Scale is used extensively by the NWS in investigating tornadoes (all tornadoes are now assigned an EF Scale number), and by engineers in correlating damage to buildings and techniques with different wind speeds caused by tornadoes. To see a comparative table of F and EF scales, see http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/ef-scale.html.
Figure 19. Traverse County Tornado, July 30, 2011 (Elms, Prairie Wind Chasers, 2011) In Minnesota, the peak months of tornado occurrence are June, July and May (in that order). 75% of Minnesota tornadoes occur during these 3 months. On average, 35 tornadoes are reported in the state each year (National Climatic Data Center, n.d.). The typical time of day for tornadoes in Minnesota ranges between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Most of these are minor tornadoes, with wind speeds under 125 miles per hour. A typical Minnesota tornado lasts approximately 10 minutes, has a path length of 5 to 6 miles, is nearly as wide as a football field, and has a forward speed of about 35 miles an hour and affects less than 0.1% of the county warned.
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Tornado History in Traverse County According to the NCDC, 11 tornadoes were reported in Traverse County between 1956 and November 2014, causing no deaths or injuries, but over $5,027,000 dollars in property damage. Tornado classification ranged from F0 to F3 on the Fujita Scale. While most of the tornados in Traverse County have been F0, F1, or F2 classification, 2 F3 tornadoes occurred in the county on May 10, 1982, causing $5 million in property damage. In October 2013, an EF1 tornado occurred in the county, damaging a large barn, nearby woodlot, and cornfield. The tornado’s path was relatively short, located in Clifton Township (Elms, Chokio Review, 2013).
Figure 20 below shows tornado touchdown points and tracks in Traverse County since 1956. Historic tornado events in the county are listed in
Table 27.
Table 27. Historic Tornado Events in Traverse County (1956-November 2014) Location or Property Date Type Magnitude Deaths Injuries County Damage Charlesville 10/11/2013 Tornado EF1 0 0 0 Charlesville 6/17/2012 Tornado EF0 0 0 0 Collis 7/30/2011 Tornado EF0 0 0 0 Browns Valley 9/23/2004 Tornado F1 0 0 0 Wheaton 10/26/1996 Tornado F1 0 0 0 Browns Valley 10/6/1994 Tornado F0 0 0 0 Traverse County 5/20/1987 Tornado F1 0 0 25K Traverse County 5/10/1982 Tornado F3 0 0 2.5M Traverse County 5/10/1982 Tornado F3 0 0 2.5M Traverse County 9/5/1969 Tornado F1 0 0 2.5K Traverse County 7/18/1956 Tornado F0 0 0 0 Source: National Climatic Data Center
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Figure 20. Tornado Touchdowns and Paths, Traverse County (1950-2014)
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Tornadoes and Climate Change Tornadoes and other severe thunderstorm phenomena frequently cause as much annual property damage in the U.S. as do hurricanes, and often cause more deaths. Although recent research has yielded insights into the connections between global warming and the factors that cause tornados and severe thunderstorms, such as atmospheric instability and increases in wind speed with altitude (Del Genio, Yao, & Jonas, 2007), these relationships remain mostly unexplored, largely because of the challenges in observing thunderstorms and tornadoes and simulating them with computer models (National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013).
According to Harold Brooks of NOAA’s National Severe Weather Laboratory, there is increasing variability in the “start” of tornado season. The number of days with more than 30 EF1 or greater tornadoes is increasing, while the number of days with at least 1 EF1 or greater tornadoes is decreasing. Thus, tornadoes are occurring on fewer days, but more are occurring on outbreak days.
Tornadoes have not been recorded in Minnesota in the winter months of December, January and February (MN DNR, 2014). However, the state of Wisconsin has recorded 3 tornadoes in January and 6 in December during the period of 1844-2013 (National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, 2014) including a recent January tornado in 2008.
Vulnerability Summer storms effect Traverse County each year, so there is a 100% probability that the county and its jurisdictions will be affected. According to the 58 complete years in the NCDC record, there is a 34% chance of a significant hailstorm any year in Traverse County and a 13% chance in each year that there will be a hailstorm that produces hail greater than one inch in size.
The county has experienced tornadoes in 10 of the 57 complete years on record. According to these statistics, there is an 18% chance of a tornado affecting Traverse County each year. The magnitude of summer storms each year is unpredictable and within Traverse County the vulnerability of jurisdictions to summer storms does not vary geographically. The vulnerability of each jurisdiction to severe summer storms has not changed due to any development in the last five years.
Relationship to other Hazards Wildland Fire - Lighting strikes may ignite a wildland fire. Windstorms or tornadoes that result in downed timber increase the fuel load in a forest that may increase the risk of wildfire.
Structural Fire - Lighting strikes may ignite a wildland or structural fire.
Flash Flooding - Snow melt and rain from slow-moving thunderstorms can cause flash flooding.
Public Health - Public Health can be impacted by wastewater spills occurring due to flooding or power outages.
Water Main Breaks - Water pumps starting after power outages can result in water main breaks.
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Plans and Programs in Place SKYWARN Program - Traverse County participates in SKYWARN, a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to their local National Weather Service office.
Warning Sirens - Warning sirens are located in Wheaton, Tintah, Dumon, Browns Valley, and the county park on Lake Traverse.
Storm Shelters - A storm shelter is located at Rosebud RV Park on Lake Traverse.
School Closings - All schools within Traverse County have a school closing policy and communications plan in place if inclement weather or temperatures create a hazardous situation for students or staff.
Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System. Traverse County also promotes the use of NOAA weather radios by critical facilities and the public to receive information broadcast from the National Weather Service.
Severe Weather Awareness Week - Traverse County helps promote and participates in the National Weather Service’s “Severe Weather Awareness Week” held in April each year. The event seeks to educate residents on the dangers of severe summer storm events and highlights the importance of preparing for severe weather before it strikes.
Rain Gauge Monitoring - The Traverse Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), in cooperation with the DNR Office of State Climatology and with the assistance of volunteers, measures rainfall levels throughout Traverse County. Each participant receives a rain gauge and monthly forms to record daily rainfall. Additionally, each participant receives an annual report from the Climatalogy Office. This report includes the data that the participants have turned in for the year. There are 5 volunteers as well as a District Technician who record the daily rainfall on a monthly report along with any other interesting weather facts. These reports are collected by the SWCD and sent to the State Climatology Office at the University of Minnesota for further recording and long-term research.
Burying Power Lines - Burying power lines helps eliminate loss of power due to severe summer storms. Seven miles of power lines are buried in Traverse County.
Backup Power - Generator backup power is available at Wheaton High School, Sanford Wheaton Medical Center, Browns Valley City Hall, the nursing home, and a portable generator is available for the Browns Valley sewer and water plants. Generators are needed at the courthouse, Browns Valley School, Pearson Elementary School in Wheaton, Wheaton City Hall, Wheaton Fire Department, Wheaton Sewer Plant, and Wheaton Water Plant.
Emergency Operations Plan - Traverse County maintains an Emergency Operations Plan which is designed as a guide for emergency operations. It is intended to assist key county/city officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under
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a wide range of emergency conditions, including debris management.
4.4.5 Extreme Cold Wintertime in Traverse County can be a brutal time, and especially dangerous for disabled citizens and outdoor workers. Record temperature lows and arctic-like wind chill factors can cause cold-related illnesses such as frostbite and hypothermia, which can be deadly. Hypothermia is the greatest and most life-threatening cold weather danger.
In Traverse County cold winter weather can have severe or fatal impacts. Hypothermia occurs when core body temperature drops below 96°F. Anyone who is exposed to severe cold without enough protection can develop hypothermia. Frostbite occurs when skin tissue and blood vessels are damaged from exposure to temperatures below 32°F. It most commonly affects the toes, fingers, earlobes, chin, cheeks, nose, and other body parts that are often left uncovered in cold temperatures. The NWS issues "extreme cold" warnings when it feels like -30°F or colder across a wide area for several hours. Extreme cold watches are issued a day or two before the conditions are expected.
Below zero temperatures occur almost every winter for a period of time in Minnesota. January is the coldest month, with daytime highs averaging 20°F and nighttime lows averaging 2°F. However, these averages do not tell the whole story. Maximum temperatures in January have been as high as 61°F and minimums as low as -36°F.
Extreme cold temperatures affect the state nearly every year. A new record low temperature for Minnesota was set in the town of Tower on February 2, 1996, at -60°F. Numerous record low temperatures were set during the period in St. Cloud, Rochester and the Twin Cities. Minneapolis/St. Paul set 3 new record low temperatures as well as recording the second coldest day on record on February 2, 1996. A mean temperature of -25°F was measured that day with a high of -17°F and a low of -32°F in the Twin Cities. This was within 2 degrees of tying the all-time record low temperature set in the Twin Cities and the coldest temperature recorded this century. Many central and southern Minnesota locations set new record low temperatures the morning of the 2nd. The governor closed all schools that day.
In February of 2014, nearly all of Minnesota was between 10-15°F colder than normal (1981-2010 period) (High Plains Regional Climate Center, 2014).
Extreme Cold History in Traverse County January is the coldest month on average in the city of Wheaton. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Wheaton occurred in 1977, when it fell to -33°F (The Weather Channel, n.d.). According to the High Plains Regional Climate Center, the average minimum temperature (from 1914-2013) for the month of January was 1°F, with an average annual snowfall of 37” (High Plains Regional Climate Center, 2013).
Cold weather is often accompanied by winds creating a dangerous wind chill effect, putting both people and livestock at risk. Most of the county is at risk from wind chill because of its relatively flat and open
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landscape. Wind chills of -35°F and lower can present significant dangers, particularly if people are not properly clothed or protected. Under these conditions, frostbite can occur in minutes on exposed skin.
The NCDC has recorded 21 extreme cold/wind chill events between 1996 and November 2014. However, no deaths, injuries, or property losses were recorded with these events. Ten of the records have occurred since 2011.
Extreme cold can result in water lines freezing. In 2014 a Traverse County water tower was in danger of freezing.
Extreme Cold and Climate Change There is not yet any observable trend related to extreme cold events and climate change in Minnesota. Cold temperatures have always been a part of Minnesota’s climate and extreme cold events will continue. However, an increase in extreme precipitation or storm events such as ice storms as the climate changes could lead to a higher risk of residents being exposed to cold temperatures during power outages or other storm-related hazards during extreme cold.
Vulnerability Extreme cold temperatures affect the county nearly every year. The amount of snow and ice, number of blizzard conditions, and days of sub-zero temperatures each year are unpredictable.
Within Traverse County the risk of extreme cold does not vary geographically. Citizens living in climates such as these must always be prepared for situations that put their lives or property at risk. It is not always the depth of the cold, but an unprepared individual with a vehicle breakdown or unmaintained garage that are at risk. Rural citizens not connected to city gas lines are more vulnerable to issues with extreme cold. The vulnerability of each jurisdiction to extreme cold has not changed due to any development in the last five years.
Relationship to other Hazards Wildfire - Extreme cold directly impacts firefighting, making fire suppression more difficult and increasing the likelihood of equipment damage.
Public Health - Frozen septic systems can lead to the release of increased levels of untreated wastewater into the environment.
Public Safety - Anyone exposed to extremely cold temperatures can develop frostbite and hypothermia. The elderly, children and those who engage in outdoor work or recreation may be most susceptible to the danger of extremely cold temperatures.
Plans and Programs in Place School Closings - All schools within Traverse County have a school closing policy and communications plan in place if inclement weather or temperatures create a hazardous situation for students or staff.
Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass
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Notification System. Traverse County also promotes the use of NOAA weather radios by critical facilities and the public to receive information broadcast from the National Weather Service.
4.4.6 Extreme Heat Human beings need to maintain a constant body temperature if they are to stay healthy. Working in high temperatures induces heat stress when more heat is absorbed into the body than can be dissipated out. Heat illness such as prickly heat, fainting from heat exhaustion, or heat cramps are visible signs that people are working in unbearable heat. In the most severe cases, the body temperature control system breaks down altogether and body temperature rises rapidly. This is a heat stroke, which can be fatal. The NWS issues a heat advisory when, during a 24-hour period, the temperature ranges from 105°F to 114°F during the day, and remains at or above 80°F at night.
Extreme heat events are linked to a range of illnesses, even death, and can exacerbate pre-existing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular, respiratory, liver, and neurological diseases, endocrine disorders, and renal disease or failure. Populations who are most vulnerable to extreme heat include persons over 65 or under 5 years old; living alone, without air-conditioning, or residing on the topmost floor of a building; and with an income at or below the poverty line. People who are exposed to heat because of recreational activities or job-related activities are also more vulnerable, including athletes, construction workers, and landscape/agricultural workers (Adapting to Climate Change in Minnesota: 2013 Report of the Interagency Climate Adaptation Team, 2013).
Extreme Heat History in Traverse County July is the hottest month on average in the city of Wheaton. The highest temperature ever recorded in Wheaton occurred in 1988, when it rose to 106°F (The Weather Channel, n.d.). According to the High Plains Regional Climate Center, the average July maximum temperature (from 1914-2013) in Wheaton was 85°F (High Plains Regional Climate Center, 2013). It is not uncommon to get extended warm spells with high dew points and temperatures in the 90s for several days in a row. Extended periods of warm, humid weather can create significant risks for people, particularly the elderly, who may lack air conditioning or proper insulation or ventilation in their homes. Animals are also at risk during extended periods of heat and humidity.
The NCDC has only recorded 2 heat events in Traverse County since 1996, occurring in 2006 and 2011 (see Table C - 8 in Appendix C: Traverse County Hazard Events).
Extreme Heat and Climate Change Minnesota’s average temperature has increased more than 1.5°F since recordkeeping began in 1895, with increased warming happening in recent decades (International Climate Adaptation Team, 2013). Annual temperatures in the Midwest have generally been well above the 1901-1960 average since the late 1990s, with the decade of the 2000s being the warmest on record (Kunkel, et al., Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment, 2013). 7 of Minnesota’s 10 warmest years occurred in the last 15 years. Projected increases are 2°F to 6°F more by 2050 and 5°F to 10°F by 2100 (MN Environmental Quality Board, 2014). The Midwest has experienced major heat waves and
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their frequency has increased over the last 6 decades (Perera, et al., 2012). For the U.S., mortality increases 4% during heat waves compared with non-heat wave days (Anderson & Bell, 2011). During July 2011, 132 million people across the U.S. were under a heat alert – and on July 20 the majority of the Midwest experienced temperatures in excess of 100°F. Heat stress is projected to increase as a result of climbing summer temperatures and humidity (Schoof, 2012). On July 19, 2011, Moorhead Minnesota set a new state record for the hottest heat index ever, at 134°F. That same day, Moorhead also recorded a new state record for the highest dew point at 88. It was the hottest, most humid spot on the planet that day (Douglas, 2011).
Increasing temperatures impacts Minnesota’s agricultural industry. Agriculture is highly dependent on specific climate conditions. As a result of increasing temperature, crop production areas may shift to new regions of the state where the temperature range for growth and yield of those crops is optimal. According to the National Climate Assessment, the Midwest growing season has lengthened by almost 2 weeks since 1950 due in large part to earlier timing of the last spring freeze. This trend is expected to continue. While a longer growing season may increase total crop production, other climate changes, such as increased crop losses and soil erosion from more frequent and intense storms, and increases in pests and invasive species, could outweigh this benefit. There may also be higher livestock losses during periods of extreme heat and humidity. Losses of livestock from extreme heat lead to a challenge in disposal of animal carcasses. Currently there are only 2 rendering facilities in Minnesota available for livestock disposal. If a rendering facility is not available, lost livestock must be composted on an impervious surface. If losses are high, finding an impervious surface large enough is a challenge. In an attempt to adapt to increased temperatures, livestock areas in Minnesota may shift farther north. As a result of new livestock areas and the resulting manure production, farmers may transition to manure- based fertilizer applications in areas where traditionally only commercial fertilizers have been used, with accompanying environmental advantages and disadvantages (Adapting to Climate Change in Minnesota: 2013 Report of the Interagency Climate Adaptation Team, 2013).
Vulnerability Within Traverse County the risk of extreme heat does not vary geographically. The vulnerability of each jurisdiction to extreme heat has not changed due to any development in the last five years.
Relationship to other Hazards Drought and Wildfire - Dry, hot conditions can reduce the protective moisture of woodlands and increase the risk of wildfire.
Public Safety - Anyone exposed to extreme heat can develop heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The elderly, children and those who engage in outdoor work or recreation may be most susceptible to the danger of extreme heat.
Plans and Programs in Place School Closings - All schools within Traverse County have a school closing policy and communications plan in place if inclement weather or temperatures create a hazardous situation for students or staff.
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Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System. Traverse County also promotes the use of NOAA weather radios by critical facilities and the public to receive information broadcast from the National Weather Service.
4.4.7 Drought A drought refers to an extended period of deficient rainfall relative to the statistical mean for a region. Drought can be defined according to meteorological, hydrological, socioeconomic, and agricultural criteria. Meteorological drought is qualified by any significant deficit of precipitation. Hydrological drought is manifest in noticeably reduced river and stream flow and critically low groundwater tables. The term agricultural drought indicates an extended dry period that results in crop stress and harvest reduction. Socioeconomic drought refers to the situation that occurs when water shortages begin to affect people and their lives. It associates economic goods with the elements of meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological drought. Many supplies of economic goods (e.g., water, food grains, hydroelectric power) are greatly dependent on the weather. Due to natural variations in climate, water supplies are high in some years but low in others. Fluctuating long-term climate variations make drought difficult to predict.
Drought History in Traverse County National Climatic Data Center records show 8 droughts in Traverse County, in 2006, 2012, and 2013. The county was also part of a 2003 U.S. Department of Agriculture designation of 62 counties in Minnesota as primary agricultural disaster areas due to drought. In October of 2012 Traverse County was 1 of 10 counties in Minnesota declared to be natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to drought. This declaration permitted affected farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency (Drought Impact Reporter, 2012).
The risk of drought in Traverse County is low. A drought may not have a severe impact on human life due to decreased water access; however the economic impact on farmers would be significant. A drought would also have a detrimental impact on the local economy due to stunting growth of agriculture crops and negative impacts on livestock. Extended drought conditions may also make an area more prone to wildfire. Droughts can also be closely linked with insect infestation. Trees may be lost due to lack of moisture. In severe instances, a drought may cause wells to dry up entirely.
Drought and Climate Change Droughts have been happening throughout Minnesota’s history and it is not yet clear how climate change may impact this (International Climate Adaptation Team, 2013). While there was no apparent change in drought duration in the Midwest over the past century (Dai, 2011), the average number of days without precipitation is projected to increase in the future (National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013).
Even in areas where precipitation does not decrease, projected higher air temperatures will cause increased surface evaporation and plant water loss, leading to drier soils. As soil dries out, a larger
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proportion of the incoming heat from the sun goes into heating the soil and adjacent air rather than evaporating its moisture, resulting in hotter summers under drier climatic conditions (Mueller & Seneviratne, 2012).
In 2007, 24 Minnesota counties received drought designation, while 7 counties were declared flood disasters. In 2012, 55 Minnesota counties received federal drought designation at the same time 11 counties declared flood emergencies (MN Environmental Quality Board, 2014).
Vulnerability Jurisdictions in Traverse County do not vary in their vulnerability to drought. The vulnerability of each jurisdiction to drought has not changed due to any development in the last five years.
Relationship to other Hazards Wildfires - A drought can significantly increase the risk of wildfire.
Plans and Programs in Place Burning Permits and Restrictions - Traverse County implements both burning permits and restrictions.
Wellhead Protection Plan - Traverse County maintains a Wellhead Protection Plan. The city of Browns Valley also maintains a Wellhead Protection Plan that presents the actions that will be taken to manage potential contamination sources that may present a risk to the quality of the community’s drinking water.
Rain Gauge Monitoring - The Traverse Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), in cooperation with the DNR Office of State Climatology and with the assistance of volunteers, measures rainfall levels throughout Traverse County. Each participant receives a rain gauge and monthly forms to record daily rainfall. Additionally, each participant receives an annual report from the Climatalogy Office. This report includes the data that the participants have turned in for the year. There are 5 volunteers as well as a District Technician who record the daily rainfall on a monthly report along with any other interesting weather facts. These reports are collected by the SWCD and sent to the State Climatology Office at the University of Minnesota for further recording and long-term research.
Minnesota Drought Response Plan - The State of Minnesota has a statewide drought response plan in place. The plan was prepared by the Minnesota DNR.
Watershed Districts - The Bois de Sioux Watershed District and Upper Minnesota River Watershed District monitor the water resources of Traverse County.
4.4.8 Dam Failure Dams are structures that retain or detain water behind a large barrier. When full or partially full, the difference in elevation between the water above the dam and below creates large amounts of potential energy, allowing the chance for failure. Dams can fail due to either 1) water heights or flows above the capacity for which the structure was designed; or 2) deficiencies in the structure such that it cannot hold back the potential energy of the water. If a dam fails, issues of primary concern include loss of human
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life/injury, downstream property damage, lifeline disruption (transportation routes and utility lines required to maintain or protect life), and environmental damage. Dams require constant monitoring and regular maintenance to assure their integrity.
Dam Failure History in Traverse County Traverse County has 2 dams and a levy maintained and controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction on the Lake Traverse Flood Control project began in 1936 and was completed in 1941. The primary purposes were for flood control benefits along the Bois de Sioux River and Lower Red River Valley, as well as water conservation for frequent periods of drought. The project consists of 2 dams, 1 dike and 2 lakes, Traverse and Mud. The significant feature of the project is the Browns Valley Dike on the south end of Lake Traverse, keeping it separate from Big Stone Lake. The dike sits on the continental divide, which marks the outlet of Glacial Lake Agassiz. Waters on the north side of the dike flow into Hudson Bay, and on the south waters flow into the Minnesota River and on to the Mississippi River.
The White Rock Dam, located on the Traverse County and South Dakota border on the north end of Mud Lake, nearly failed in the large flood of 1997. A dam located at Pine Ridge Park near Norcross (Grant County), Minnesota, nearly failed in 1997 as well. Water behind this dam could cause flooding in Traverse County should a breach occur.
Table 28 below summarizes data on Traverse County’s dams (see also Figure 21).
Table 28. Dams in Traverse County Primary Max. Dam Name Owner River Built NID Height Type Purpose Discharge U.S. Army White Rock Bois De Water Corps of 1941 33 Earth 5,600 Dam Sioux River Supply Engineers Redpath 21 Flood 18 Earth Dam Control U.S. Army Reservation Bois De Flood Corps of 1941 16 Earth 12,300 Highway Dam Sioux River Control Engineers Little Browns Valley Flood CEMVP Minnesota 1941 16 Earth Dike Control River
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Figure 21. Dams in Traverse County
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Dam Failure and Climate Change Dams are designed based on assumptions about a river’s annual flow behavior that will determine the volume of water behind the dam and flowing through the dam at any one time. Changes in weather patterns due to climate change may alter the expected flow pattern. It is conceivable that bigger rainfalls at earlier times in the year could threaten a dam's designed margin of safety, causing dam operators to release greater volumes of water earlier in a storm cycle in order to maintain the required margins of safety. Such early releases of increased volumes can increase flood potential downstream.
While climate change will not increase the probability of catastrophic dam failure, it may increase the probability of design failures. Minnesota had a dam failure due to a large storm event in June 2012. The Forebay canal had operated as designed for nearly 100 years. The intensity of the 2012 rain event caused a failure of the canal wall which caused significant damage.
Climate change is adding a new level of uncertainty that needs to be considered with respect to assumptions made during dam construction.
Vulnerability Areas most susceptible to the effects of dam failure are the populated places downstream from a dam location. The vulnerability of each jurisdiction to dam failure has not changed due to any development in the last five years.
Relationship to other Hazards Flooding - In the event of dam failure, flooding of communities and transportation corridors can occur.
Plans and Programs in Place Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Dam Safety Program - For 30 years, the federal government has used the National Dam Safety Program (NDSP) to protect Americans from dam failure. The NDSP is a partnership of states, federal agencies, and other stakeholders that encourages individual and community responsibility for dam safety. The NDSP is intended to help states bring the necessary resources to bear on inspection, classification, and emergency planning for dam safety.
National Inventory of Dams (NID) - The NID is a database managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The NID is used to track information on the nation’s water control infrastructure. Information from the NID is used in the development of water resource management, land use management, floodplain management, risk management, and emergency action planning.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Waters – Dam Safety Program - The MN DNR Dam Safety Program and current dam safety regulations require the safe design, construction, operation, and maintenance of dams in Minnesota. The state program includes review of design plans and plans for proposed dams, safety inspections of existing dams, and repair of dams. The Dam Safety
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Program keeps a file on all dams that are subject to state dam safety regulations or have had information or reports generated on them for another purpose. A typical file contains construction plans, photos, inspection reports, and correspondence.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has plans in place for terroristic acts against the dams and flood control projects in the county.
4.4.9 Structure Fires FEMA separates structure fires that are human-caused as a man-made hazard. An incendiary attack is the initiation of fire or explosion on or near a target via direct contact or remotely via projectile. The duration of the hazard is generally minutes to hours. The extent of damage is determined by the type and quantity of device/accelerant and materials present at or near target. The effects of structural fire are generally static other than cascading consequences, incremental structural failure, etc. Mitigation factors include built-in fire detection and protection systems and fire-resistive construction techniques. Inadequate security can allow easy access to target, easy concealment of an incendiary device and undetected initiation of a fire. Non-compliance with fire and building codes as well as failure to maintain existing fire protection systems can substantially increase the effectiveness of a fire weapon.
Structure Fire History in Traverse County As of 2013, Traverse County was one of three Minnesota counties that have not had fatalities due to fires for the past 24 years. Table 29 below lists the Traverse County Fire Department runs, losses, and deaths between 2009 and 2013.
Table 29. Traverse County Fire Department Runs, Dollar Losses, and Deaths (2009-2013) Total County Average $ Fire Year Fire Runs Other Runs Dollar Loss Loss/Fire Deaths 2013 12 6 $36,250 $3,295 0 2012 34 15 $404,750 $13,492 0 2011 27 9 $199,450 $9,066 0 2010 32 22 $93,600 $4,070 0 2009 21 13 $70,325 $3,907 0 Source: Minnesota State Fire Marshal
Vulnerability According to the Traverse County Emergency Manager, the places most vulnerable to structural fires in the County are the main streets of Wheaton and Browns Valley.
Relationship to other Hazards Service Disruption - Major fires can completely destroy structures, including essential public facilities, and utilities like electric and gas lines can be damaged and even destroyed.
Health Risks - Destruction or damage to essential infrastructure such as water and wastewater facilities can cause public health risk.
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Hazardous Materials - Many times hazardous materials are highly flammable causing fires to spread rapidly and increasing the danger to human lives in the event of explosion.
Plans and Programs in Place Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System.
Traverse County Emergency Operations Plan - The Traverse County EOP refers to fire protection.
Mutual Aid Agreements - All of the municipal fire departments in Traverse County have mutual aid agreements with each contiguous department that borders their respective fire district. Written mutual aid agreements are on file with each city.
Emergency Operations Plan - Traverse County maintains an Emergency Operations Plan which is designed as a guide for emergency operations. It is intended to assist key county/city officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under a wide range of emergency conditions, including fires.
4.4.10 Ground and Surface Water Supply Contamination Water supply contamination is the introduction of point and non-point source pollutants into public groundwater and/or surface water supplies. The causes of water contamination are numerous and range from failing septic systems and leaking underground tanks to improper use of household chemicals. Residences near lakes and rivers often have wells that use shallow groundwater that is particularly at risk for contamination.
The most obvious concern about an unsafe water supply is the health risks to humans. Water contamination serves as a source of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause gastrointestinal problems or transmit contagious diseases.
Municipal wastewater collection systems often receive additional water during heavy storm events as a result of inflow and infiltration. This may cause the wastewater treatment system to reach its maximum treatment capacity. In this event, untreated excess flow will be directed into waterways, resulting in sewage contamination. Urban runoff is usually collected by a separate storm sewer system and discharged directly into waterways.
Ground and Surface Water Supply Contamination History in Traverse County Groundwater contamination and contaminated runoff have been addressed as priority concerns in the Traverse County Local Water Plan. Due to the nature of the primarily clay rich soil types throughout the county, the most common route of groundwater contamination is through abandoned and unsealed wells.
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In Lake Traverse, eutrophication related to erosion, excess nutrients, and contaminated runoff have become increasingly severe with rising land cultivation. 90% of the county is involved in agriculture, which is a major contribution to contaminated runoff.
Groundwater resources supply all of Traverse County with quality usable water. Protection of this valuable resource is important to the well-being of all citizens and for use by future generations. All domestic water supplies, public and private, are drawn from groundwater sources. Ground water has provided a reliable and relatively high quality source of water for both domestic and livestock consumption. Irrigation has not been a major factor and significant development of irrigation is not anticipated.
In general, groundwater recharge occurs normally in the morainal areas and discharge occurs in the lake plain area of the Bois de Sioux Watershed District (which most of Traverse County lies in). This is evidenced by a number of flowing wells in the lake plain and by the numerous springs that feed Lake Traverse. The quality and quantity of ground water available varies depending on the formation in which it is found. Groundwater is found in both surficial and buried aquifers within the glacial drift. It is also found in the cretaceous sediments and, to a limited degree, within the bedrock.
Vulnerability Figure 22 shows wells and groundwater contamination susceptibility in Traverse County.
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Figure 22. Traverse County Groundwater Contamination Susceptibility and Wells
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Relationship to other Hazards Infectious Diseases - polluted waters can result in illness and epidemics for both humans and animals.
Plans and Programs in Place Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System.
Local Water Management Plan - Traverse County has its own Water Management Plan, which identifies existing and potential problems and opportunities for protection, management and development of water resources and related land resources in the county. Contaminated runoff and groundwater contamination are addressed as priority concerns in the plan.
Wellhead Protection Plan - Traverse County maintains a Wellhead Protection Plan. The city of Browns Valley also maintains a Wellhead Protection Plan that presents the actions that will be taken to manage potential contamination sources that may present a risk to the quality of the community’s drinking water.
Abandoned Well Sealing Cost Share - The Traverse Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is implementing an abandoned well sealing cost share program, providing up to 50% for eligible costs of sealing abandoned or unused wells. Open wells provide a direct conduit into underground aquifers for contaminants such as pesticides, petroleum products and lawn fertilizers, which pose a major threat to drinking water supplies.
DNR Well Monitoring - The Traverse Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) collects and records data from a well in Traverse County. The information that is gathered is sent on to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Rain Gauge Monitoring - The Traverse Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), in cooperation with the DNR Office of State Climatology and with the assistance of volunteers, measures rainfall levels throughout Traverse County. Each participant receives a rain gauge and monthly forms to record daily rainfall. Additionally, each participant receives an annual report from the Climatalogy Office. This report includes the data that the participants have turned in for the year. There are 5 volunteers as well as a District Technician who record the daily rainfall on a monthly report along with any other interesting weather facts. These reports are collected by the SWCD and sent to the State Climatology Office at the University of Minnesota for further recording and long-term research.
Traverse County Sewage and Wastewater Treatment Ordinance - This ordinance provides minimum standards and regulation for individual wastewater treatment systems (ISTS) in Traverse County.
Traverse County Feedlot Ordinance - The Traverse County Feedlot Ordinance provides standards for feedlot locations and manure storage. These standards are in place, in part, to prevent water contamination from livestock manure.
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Well Construction and Water Testing - Since 1974, all water wells constructed in Minnesota must meet the location and construction requirements of the Minnesota Well Code. These requirements also pertain to private wells.
MDH's Well Management Program - MDH’s Well Management Program protects both public health and groundwater by assuring the proper construction of new wells and borings, and the proper sealing of unused wells and borings.
Watershed Districts - The Bois de Sioux Watershed District and Upper Minnesota River Watershed District monitor the water resources of Traverse County.
EPA Drinking Water Standards and Requirements - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996, sets uniform nationwide minimum standards for drinking water. MDH and environmental agencies have the primary responsibility for ensuring that each public water supplier meets these federal drinking water standards, or more stringent ones established by the state. Local officials work together with the MDH and the EPA to ensure that all public water supplies are safe.
4.4.11 Infectious Diseases Infectious disease outbreaks can occur as primary events themselves or as secondary events to another disaster or emergency such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster. If a disease outbreak would occur, deaths, fear and misinformation could trigger civil unrest, lawlessness and panic.
An infectious disease is defined as an organism that has the potential to spread or affect a population in adverse ways. Infectious diseases have the potential to affect any form of life at any time based on local conditions, living standards, basic hygiene, pasteurization and water treatment. Despite medical breakthroughs and technology, infectious diseases continue to pose an important public health problem. Today, the issue of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases is at the forefront of public health concern. The very young, older adults and hospitalized and institutionalized patients are at increased risk for many infectious diseases. Changes in demographics, lifestyles, technology, land use practices, food production and distribution methods, child care practices and increasing poverty have a role in emerging infections.
The surfacing of diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (for which there is no cure or vaccination), and bio-terrorism threats underscore the need for a good public health system to detect new diseases early and prevent a large scale epidemic. Increased resistance of diseases to various antibiotics is another area of concern. Additionally, because southern Minnesota’s economy is heavily influenced by the animal/livestock industry (susceptible to infectious disease as well), an outbreak could negatively affect the local economy.
Infectious diseases of concern include:
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Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that is spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys or spine. TB germs are put into the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes. When a person inhales air that contains TB germs, he or she may become infected. People with TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. However, they may develop TB at some time in the future. The general symptoms of TB include feeling sick or weak, weight loss, fever and night sweats. The symptoms of TB of the lungs include coughing, chest pain and coughing up blood. Other symptoms depend on the part of the body that is affected.
Hepatitis A is an enterically transmitted viral disease that causes fever, malaise, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, and abdominal discomfort, followed within a few days by jaundice. The disease ranges in clinical severity from no symptoms to a mild illness lasting one or two weeks to a severely disabling disease lasting several months. In developing countries, hepatitis A virus is usually acquired during childhood, most frequently as an asymptomatic or mild infection. Transmission can occur through direct person-to-person contact; exposure to contaminated water, ice or shellfish harvested from sewage- contaminated water; or from fruits, vegetables, or other foods that are eaten uncooked, and which can become contaminated during harvesting or subsequent handling.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus that can cause encephalitis. This virus usually circulates between mosquitoes and birds in Africa and Europe. However, in 1999, an outbreak of WN encephalitis was reported in New York City. Since then the virus has spread throughout much of the eastern United States, and was found as close as Madison, Wisconsin, and east-central Iowa in 2002.
Influenza is a contagious disease that is caused by the influenza virus. It attacks the respiratory tract in humans (nose, throat and lungs). The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly and may include fever, headache, tiredness (can be extreme), dry cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches.
Infectious Disease History in Traverse County Infectious diseases are always a risk for Traverse County, and must be taken into serious consideration to assist in mitigating their effects to a minimum if and when they do occur. Many infectious diseases are preventable and controllable, limiting the vulnerability of Traverse County to an epidemic, as long as preventive measures are taken. Prevention and control of infectious diseases involve collection of accurate assessment data (such as surveillance data for specific conditions), outbreak detection and investigation, and development of appropriate control strategies (both short and long term) based on specific epidemiologic data. These activities require close collaboration between clinical providers (especially infection-control practitioners within hospitals), clinical laboratories, state and local health departments, and federal agencies. Furthermore, a need exists for continued education of industry (particularly food producers and food-service industries), health care students and providers, along with research to improve immunizations, diagnostic methods, and therapeutic modalities. Thus, the prevention of infectious diseases requires multidisciplinary interventions involving public health professionals, medical practitioners, researchers, community-based organizations, volunteer and private groups, industrial representatives, and educational systems.
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Minnesota has not had an infectious disease outbreak reach epidemic proportions in decades. Traverse County has experienced individual cases of infectious diseases over the last 50 years, which have been considered isolated occurrences or minor exposures.
Vulnerability All of Traverse County is equally vulnerable to infectious diseases.
Relationship to other Hazards Civil Unrest - if a disease outbreak occurred, deaths, fear, and misinformation could trigger civil unrest, lawlessness, and panic
Plans and Programs in Place Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System.
Stevens/Traverse/Grant Public Health (STGPH) - STGPH focuses on the needs of the community, prioritizes the prevention of public health problems, works through interdisciplinary teams with community partners, and solves health problems by understanding their causes and distribution. STGPH works with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to address infectious disease. STGPH has a number of plans in place for a potential infectious disease and public health emergency. These plans include:
Health Emergency Response Plan Mass Clinic Plan Communication Plan (for emergency risk communications and other public health communication issues) Risk Communication Rules Guidelines for Isolation and Quarantine Infectious Disease Outbreak Response Plan
Health Alert Network - Minnesota’s Health Alert Network (HAN) enables public health staff, tribal governments, health care providers, emergency workers and others working to protect the public to exchange information during a disease outbreak, environmental threat, natural disaster or act of terrorism. All of Minnesota’s 91 public health agencies have built local HANs to distribute alert information rapidly to health care providers and others in their jurisdiction.
Emergency Operations Plan - Traverse County maintains an Emergency Operations Plan which is designed as a guide for emergency operations. It is intended to assist key county/city officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under a wide range of emergency conditions, including health and medical emergencies.
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4.4.12 Hazardous Materials Hazardous materials are composed of substances that are flammable or combustible, explosive, toxic, noxious, corrosive, oxidizing or radioactive. Business types that commonly use hazardous materials locally include: hospitals, schools, metal plating and finishing industries, the aircraft industry, public utilities, cold storage companies, fuel industries, the communication industry, chemical distributors, research facilities, and high technology firms. Each of these facilities is required to maintain plans for warning, notification, evacuation and site security under various regulations. Hazardous materials incidents are generally associated with transportation accidents or accidents at fixed facilities.
Hazardous materials may also be released as a secondary result of natural disasters, such as tornadoes, fires and floods. In either case, buildings or vehicles can release hazardous materials when they are structurally compromised or are involved in traffic accidents. Pipelines can be exposed or ruptured from collapsed embankments, road washouts, bridge collapses, and fractures in roadways.
Hazardous materials spills may cause the short-term or long-term evacuation of an affected area. Depending on the nature of the spill and local weather conditions, residences, businesses, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and roadways may be evacuated or closed to traffic until cleanup can be affected.
Transportation Hazardous materials are transported in Traverse County by road, rail, aircraft, and pipeline, each of which present differing levels of risk due to accidental release. Transported products include hazardous materials moving from producers to users, moving between storage and use facilities, and hazardous waste moving from generators to treatment and disposal facilities. According to the most recent findings at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, more than half of all accidents involving hazardous materials have occurred on state roadways.
Fixed Facilities There are 17 Tier II facilities (fixed hazardous materials facilities) listed and identified in Traverse County. The federal Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 created the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA), also known as SARA Title III, which provides the community access to information about chemical hazards and helps facilitate the development of emergency response plans. A business/facility is required to provide information to the community when the presence of any “extremely hazardous substance” (listed in 40 CFR Parts 355, Appendices A and B) when it is in excess of the substance’s threshold planning quantity. The 17 Tier II facilities in Traverse County are listed under Chemical and Hazardous Materials in Appendix B. All sites recognized as having hazardous or chemical waste are shown in Figure 23.
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Figure 23. Sites with Hazardous or Chemical Waste in Traverse County
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Illegal Methamphetamine Labs A growing concern in rural Minnesota areas, including Traverse County, is the manufacture, distribution, and use of illegal methamphetamines. Aside from the dangers of the drug to users, the creation of methamphetamine also involves various forms of hazardous materials, many of which are not handled, stored, or disposed of correctly. Therefore, exposure to these materials is a concern in its own right. A clandestine drug lab (or clan lab) is a collection of materials and ingredients used to manufacture illegal drugs. Methamphetamine is the drug most commonly made in Minnesota labs. In addition to the dangers of active drug labs and possible harm caused by lab residues in active and former labs, methamphetamine use and manufacturing is associated with:
Increased crime, particularly property crimes, personal violence, child abuse and endangerment Increased demand for medical and social services, including foster and short-term care, drug and psychiatric treatment, and various public health services Increased demands on jails and jail services, fire departments and law enforcement agencies Additional strain on educators, parents and communities
Incidents of methamphetamine production have occurred in Traverse County. The production of methamphetamine is a relatively simple process and can be carried out by individuals without special knowledge or expertise in chemistry. Minnesota officials reported 475 methamphetamine labs and methamphetamine related events (dumps of methamphetamine chemicals, ammonia thefts, precursor chemical stashes and purchases) to the MDH in 2003. Most of these labs (75%) were located away from the largest Minnesota cities, in rural or semi-rural areas such as those in Traverse County.
There are many forms of hazardous material exposure associated with clandestine drug labs, including toxic gas, explosions, chemical fires, and dumpsites.
The primary toxic gases generated during the manufacture of methamphetamine are hydriodic acid vapors and phosphine gas. Hydriodic acid vapors are primarily present during the first phase of d- methamphetamine production. Unlike more sophisticated methamphetamine manufacturers, some chemists do not use condenser tubes, which allow vapors to cool and condense product back into the reaction vessel. Instead, they allow hydriodic acid vapors to boil out of the reaction vessel. These vapors can also result from the simple presence of hydriodic acid. Similar to the fumes of ammonia, hydriodic acid vapors will emanate from moderate quantities of hydriodic acid. For example, hydriodic acid could remain in sink traps, open containers, or other materials or equipment, releasing toxic fumes that can cause nausea. Prolonged exposure to hydriodic acid vapors can cause internal chemical burns and permanent respiratory damage.
In addition to the unstable properties of phosphine gas, some of the precursors used in d- methamphetamine production are flammable or reactive and can cause explosions and chemical fires. For example, friction can ignite deposits of red phosphorous left on equipment or the surrounding area. If individuals dismantle equipment, the red phosphorous residue may not only spark but also ignite gases remaining in the reaction vessel, intensifying the problem. Explosions can result because of mislabeling or purchasing the wrong chemicals. There is a reported case in which d-methamphetamine
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clandestine lab cooks were sold potassium chlorate instead of ephedrine. Since both substances are white powders and appear similar, the cooks treated the powder as if it was ephedrine. When the potassium chlorate was combined with red phosphorus there was a violent chemical reaction that exploded. These explosions often result in chemical fires and have the potential to initiate a chain reaction of explosions and additional fires due to the proximity of precursor chemicals and other flammable materials stored at the clandestine lab site.
After completion of the final d-methamphetamine production phase, clandestine lab workers are left with large quantities of hazardous waste. Five to six pounds of hazardous waste are generated for each pound of finished product. The location of the discarded waste is referred to as a "dumpsite," which can vary from an open pit in a farm field, to a deep shaft underneath a basement, to storage in a garage. However, many of these dumpsites have similar contents. Wastes commonly found at dumpsites include:
Compressed Gas Cylinders – 20-pound propane cylinders are used to transport anhydrous ammonia, ether, or other pressurized bottles Discarded Clothing, Shoes, Gloves – lab workers frequently discard gloves and clothing because the contamination of these items can be used as evidence to substantiate their involvement Dust Masks Household Products – automobile products that contain methanol or ether, containers of alcohol, Coleman fuel, drain cleaner, lye, acetone, toluene, batteries, gun scrubber, salt, and iodine Coffee Filters – Used to strain out tablet residue, red phosphorous, iodine crystals and other materials in the manufacturing process Freon Cans and Containers – Sodium hydroxide makes up the bulk of waste at dumpsites. Whether the liquid waste is left in containers that corrode and leak over time or is simply dumped onto the ground, this contaminating liquid can both sterilize soil and leach into local water tables Additionally, sealed cans containing residual Freon and other hazardous fluids are commonly found at dumpsites. Freon cans often expand and explode when temperatures rise
Vulnerability Traverse County has several hazardous material and chemical facilities. Most of these facilities are located in or near the cities of Browns Valley and Wheaton. Most of these facilities are grain elevators or fertilizer companies and cooperatives that have propane, gas, oil, diesel fuel and anhydrous ammonia.
Traverse County has 2 natural gas pipelines running across it. Hazards from these pipelines are small but risk does occur when running backhoes or tiling equipment that would dig deep enough to snag these pipelines. It is required that the pipeline companies are notified when a digging project is going to take place to assure they will not hit lines.
The lack of a four-lane highway in the county decreases the amount of truck traffic and the likelihood of hazardous materials being hauled through the county. Minnesota Highways 9 and 27 and U.S. Highway
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75 likely pose the greatest risk for hazardous material spills, as these are the main highways for truck traffic in the county.
Relationship to other Hazards Wastewater Supply Contamination - can occur as a result of the improper disposal of chemicals.
Surface and Groundwater Supply Contamination - can occur after a hazardous materials spill.
Soil Contamination - can occur due to the release of hazardous materials.
Plans and Programs in Place Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System.
Emergency Operations Plan - The Traverse County EOP outlines procedures for dealing with radiological and hazardous material accidents, spills or releases.
Hazardous facility planning - Facilities located within the county that use, store, manufacture or transport hazardous materials are responsible for developing systems and training their employees so as to be able to promptly determine and report that a release of hazardous materials has occurred.
Emergency Operations Plan - Traverse County maintains an Emergency Operations Plan which is designed as a guide for emergency operations. It is intended to assist key county/city officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under a wide range of emergency conditions, including hazardous materials incidents.
4.4.13 Terrorism Human-caused hazards are intentional, criminal, malicious uses of force and violence to perpetrate disasters against people or property. They can be the result of terrorism – actions intended to intimidate or coerce a government or the civilian population to further political or social objectives – which can be either domestic or international, depending on the origin, base and objectives of the terrorist organization. Terrorist acts may be perpetrated by individuals for personal reasons. Hazards can result from the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Examples of WMD that could be used include biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological weapons; arson, incendiary, explosive and armed attacks are also used in terrorist attacks. In addition, industrial sabotage, intentional hazardous material release, and cyber terrorism may be used.
Cascading effects and risk of an intentional human-caused disaster are highly dependent on the specific mode of attack used and asset targeted. Many of these have been detailed in the technological hazards portion of the plan covering dam failure and hazardous materials incidents. Fires and secondary explosions are possible with explosive attacks and fires from arson attacks can extend beyond the intended target. Targets could also include any building or facility that is owned, operated, or utilized by
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any level of government, including local, county, state, or federal. Other significant areas that could be targeted include schools or other areas where large groups of people congregate.
Terrorism History in Traverse County Traverse County has no history of terrorist or individual acts designed to cause disasters against people or property.
Vulnerability Terrorism is not perceived as a major threat in Traverse County. The schools are seen as the most vulnerable to terrorism in the County.
Relationship to other Hazards The cascading effects of an intentional human-caused disaster are highly dependent on the method used and asset targeted.
Plans and Programs in Place Public Warning and Notification - In the event of emergencies or hazardous conditions that require timely and targeted communication to the public, Traverse County utilizes the CodeRED Mass Notification System.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has plans in place for terroristic acts against the dams and flood control projects in the county.
Mock Shooting Drills - Traverse County school districts in Wheaton and Browns Valley have conducted mock shooting drills.
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Section 5 – Mitigation Strategy The goal of mitigation is to protect lives and reduce the future impacts of hazards including property damage, disruption to local and regional economies, the amount of public and private funds spent to assist with recovery, and to build disaster-resistant communities. Mitigation actions and projects should be based on well-constructed risk assessments, provided in Section 4 of this plan. Mitigation should be an ongoing process adapting over time to accommodate a community’s needs.
5.1 Community Capability Assessment The capability assessment identifies current activities used to mitigate hazards. The capability assessment identifies the policies, regulations, procedures, programs, and projects that contribute to the lessening of disaster damages. The assessment also provides an evaluation of these capabilities to determine whether the activities can be improved in order to more effectively reduce the impact of future hazards. The following sections identify existing plans and mitigation capabilities within all of the communities.
5.1.1 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) The NFIP is a federal program created by Congress to mitigate future flood losses nationwide through sound, community-enforced building and zoning ordinances and to provide access to affordable, federally-backed flood insurance protection for property owners. The NFIP is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods. Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the federal government that states that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), the federal government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses.
Table 30 below shows which jurisdictions in Traverse County participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Table 30. NFIP Participation in Traverse County Mapped High- Jurisdiction Name NFIP y/n Risk Areas Traverse County yes yes Browns Valley yes yes Dumont yes yes Tintah yes yes Wheaton yes no (MN DNR, 2014) Data current as of 11/4/2014
There are 7 repetitive loss properties in the county: 4 in Browns Valley, 1 in Norcross, and 2 in Wheaton. All are single family residences, except for 1 in Wheaton, a non-residential facility.
5.1.2 Plans and Ordinances Traverse County and its incorporated communities have a number of plans and ordinances in place to ensure the safety of residents and the effective operation of communities, including a Zoning Ordinance,
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Floodplain Ordinance, Wellhead Protection Plan, Local Water Plan, Transportation Plan, Economic Development Plan, and Emergency Operations Plan. In Section 4.4 of this plan (Hazard Profiles) a review of the plans and programs in place was included as related to each of the hazards addressed in the plan. For a full listing of plans and programs in place in Traverse County, see Appendix J: Traverse County Plans & Programs in Place.
5.2 Mitigation Goals In Section 4.0 of this plan, the risk assessment identified Traverse County as prone to a number of natural and technological hazards. Planning team members understand that although hazards cannot be eliminated altogether, Traverse County can work toward building disaster-resistant communities.
The goals, strategies and objectives listed in the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan for natural hazards were adopted for use in the Traverse County Plan (Table 31). This framework will allow for integration of the mitigation actions that are listed by Traverse County and its jurisdictions into the state plan. The state will then be able to develop statewide strategy that will benefit all of Minnesota.
Table 31. Goals, Strategies, and Objectives from the 2014 Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan Flooding Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, property loss and economic disruption due to all types of flooding (riverine, flash flooding, dam/levee failure) Mitigation Strategy Objectives Planning, technical studies, training, adoption of ordinances and legislation, acquisition and use of equipment, establishing shelters, and encouraging Prevention: participation in NFIP and CRS will be used to prevent or reduce risks to lives and property from flooding. Acquisition, repair, or retrofitting of property and acquisition and use of Property Protection: equipment will be used to prevent or reduce risks to property from flooding. Public Education and Public education and access to information will be used to raise public Awareness: awareness of risks from flooding in order to prevent or reduce those risks. Stream corridor protection projects and restoration and soil erosion control Natural Resource projects will be used to prevent or reduce risks and increase the protection of Protection: natural resources from flooding. Technological improvements, warning systems, responder training, emergency response services, acquisition and use of equipment, and planning Emergency Services: will provide emergency services to prevent or reduce the risks to lives and property from flooding. Construction and maintenance of drains, sewer drainage and separation projects, floodwalls, dams, culverts, levees, roads, bridges, and general flood Structural protection projects will be used to prevent or reduce damages from flooding, Improvements: loss of services to critical equipment, and the risks they pose to lives, property, and the natural environment. Wildfire Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, property loss, natural resource and economic disruption due to wildfire. Mitigation Strategy Objectives
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Enforcement of regulations, adoption of ordinances, technical studies, and Prevention: planning will be used to prevent or reduce wild land fires and the risks they pose to lives, property, and the natural environment. Vegetation management, defensible space, and water treatment measures Property Protection: (for example, sprinklers) will be used to prevent or reduce the risk of wild land fires. Public education and access to information will be used to raise public Public Education and awareness of risks from wild land fires in order to prevent or reduce those Awareness: risks, specifically the Firewise program. Planning, responder training, acquisition and use of equipment, evacuations, warning systems, technological improvements, and emergency response Emergency Services: services will provide emergency services to prevent or reduce risks to lives and property from wild land fires. New or retrofit construction utilizing fire resistant building materials and Structural installation and maintenance of sprinkler and warning systems will be used to Improvements: prevent or reduce the risk of wild land fires. Windstorms Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, property loss, and economic disruption due to windstorms. Mitigation Strategy Objectives Planning, training, technical studies, acquisition and use of equipment, adoption of ordinances and legislation, and construction of new or retrofitting Prevention: safe rooms will be used to prevent or reduce risks from windstorms to lives, property, and economic activity. Constructing safe rooms and storm shelters, retrofitting, and vegetation Property Protection: management will be used to prevent or reduce risks to the protection of property from windstorms. Public education, warning systems, and access to information will be used to Public Education and raise public awareness of risks from windstorms in order to prevent or reduce Awareness: those risks. Warning systems, responder training, emergency response services, Emergency Services: technological improvements, and response and recovery planning will provide emergency services to prevent or reduce risks from windstorms. Structural Construction of storm shelters and safe rooms and maintenance of other Improvements: structural projects will be used to prevent or reduce risks from windstorms. Severe Winter Storms Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, property loss, and economic disruption due to severe winter storms. Mitigation Strategy Objectives Acquisition and use of equipment, adoption and enforcement of ordinances and legislation, planning, training, and technical studies will be used to Prevention: prevent or reduce risk to the protection of lives, property, and economic activity from the risks from severe winter storms. Acquisition and use of equipment and vegetation management will be used to Property Protection: prevent or reduce risks to property from severe winter storms. Public education, warning systems, access to information, and outreach Public Education and projects will be used to raise public awareness of the risks from severe winter Awareness: storms in order to reduce those risks.
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Acquisition and use of equipment, emergency response services, warning systems, technological improvements, planning, and responder training will Emergency Services: provide emergency services to prevent or reduce risks from severe winter storms. Structural Structural projects for critical infrastructure will be implemented and Improvements: maintained to prevent or reduce risks from severe winter storms. Lightning Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, property losses, loss of services, and economic disruption due to lightning. Mitigation Strategy Objectives Planning, technical studies, acquisition and use of equipment, adoption of Prevention: ordinances and legislation, and establishing shelters will be utilized to prevent or reduce the risks from lightning. Retrofits and construction of safe rooms and storm shelters will be used to Property Protection: prevent or reduce the risks to property from lightning. Public education, outreach projects, and access to information will be used to Public Education and raise public awareness of risks from lightning in order to prevent or reduce Awareness: those risks. Responder training, warning systems, emergency response services, planning, acquisition and use of equipment, and technological improvements will Emergency Services: provide emergency services to prevent or reduce risks to lives and property from lightning. The construction of safe rooms, shelters, and underground utility lines as well Structural as maintenance of structural projects will be used to prevent or reduce risks Improvements: from lightning. Tornado Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, property loss, and economic disruption due to tornadoes. Mitigation Strategy Objectives Adoption of ordinances and legislation, acquisition and use of equipment, planning, conducting technical training, studies, and retrofit or construction Prevention: of safe rooms will be used to prevent or reduce risks to lives, property, and economic activity from tornadoes. Constructing safe rooms and storm shelters, and retrofits will be used to Property Protection: prevent or reduce risks to property from tornadoes. Warning systems, IPAWS, public education, and access to information will be Public Education and used to raise public awareness of risks from tornadoes in order to prevent or Awareness: reduce those risks. Warning systems, technological improvements, responder training, planning, Emergency Services: emergency response services, and acquisition and use of equipment will provide emergency services to prevent or reduce risks from tornadoes. Structural Construction of storm shelter and safe rooms and maintenance of other Improvements: structural projects will be used to prevent or reduce risks from tornadoes. Drought Goal: Reduce economic loss and environmental impacts due to drought Mitigation Strategy Objectives Planning, acquisition and use of equipment, and technical studies will be used Prevention: to prevent or reduce risks from drought.
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Water treatment measures will be used to prevent or reduce risks to property Property Protection: from drought. Public Education and Public education and access to information will be used to raise public Awareness: awareness of risks from drought in order to prevent or reduce those risks. Natural Resource Planning and implementing watershed plans will be used to prevent or reduce Protection: risks from drought. Structural Technological improvements and acquisition of equipment for structural Improvements: projects will be used to prevent or reduce risks from drought. Extreme Heat Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, and economic disruption due to extreme heat. Mitigation Strategy Objectives Planning and the acquisition and use of equipment will be used to prevent or Prevention: reduce risks from extreme heat. Acquisition and use of equipment will be used to prevent or reduce risks to Property Protection: property and economic disruption from extreme heat. Public education and access to information will be used to raise public Public Education and awareness of the risks from extreme heat in order to prevent or reduce those Awareness: risks. Planning, responder training, warning systems, establishing shelters, and Structural technological improvements will provide emergency services to prevent or Improvements: reduce risks from extreme heat. Extreme Cold Goal: Reduce deaths, injuries, property loss, and economic disruption due to extreme cold. Mitigation Strategy Objectives Planning and the acquisition and use of equipment will be used to prevent or Prevention: reduce risks from extreme cold. Acquisition and use of equipment will be used to prevent or reduce risks to Property Protection: property and economic disruption from extreme cold. Public education and access to information will be used to raise public Public Education and awareness of the risks from extreme cold in order to prevent or reduce those Awareness: risks. Planning, responder training, warning systems, establishing shelters, and Structural technological improvements will provide emergency services to prevent or Improvements: reduce risks from extreme cold.
5.3 Mitigation Actions and Projects During planning team meetings #1 and #2, the team was provided with a list of the 6 mitigation measure categories from the FEMA State and Local Mitigation Planning How to Guides. The list of Mitigation Actions by Strategy provided by HSEM was used to assist in identifying mitigation action strategies. The measures are listed as follows:
Prevention: Government, administrative, or regulatory actions or processes that influence the way land and buildings are developed and built. These actions also include public activities to
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reduce hazard losses. Examples include planning and zoning, building codes, capital improvement programs, open space preservation, and stormwater management regulations. Property Protection: Actions that involve the modification of existing buildings or structures to protect them from a hazard or removal from the hazard area. Examples include acquisition, elevation, structural retrofits, storm shutters, and shatter-resistant glass. Public Education and Awareness: Actions to inform and educate citizens, elected officials, and property owners about the hazards and potential ways to mitigate them. Such actions include outreach projects, real estate disclosure, hazard information centers, and school-age and adult education programs. Natural Resource Protection: Actions that, in addition to minimizing hazard losses, preserve or restore the functions of natural systems. These actions include sediment and erosion control, stream corridor restoration, watershed management, forest and vegetation management, and wetland restoration and preservation. Emergency Services: Actions that protect people and property during and immediately after a disaster or hazard event. Services include warning systems, emergency response services, and protection of critical facilities. Structural Projects: Actions that involve the construction of structures to reduce the impact of a hazard. Such structures include dams, levees, floodwalls, seawalls, retaining walls, and safe rooms.
In the review and discussion of selected mitigation strategies and actions, planning team members and public meeting participants were asked to consider the ranking of mitigation actions by priority for implementation. Guidance for ranking mitigation activities is drawn from FEMA evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria (STAPLE+E) involved the following categories and questions.
Social:
Will the proposed action adversely affect one segment of the population? Will the action disrupt established neighborhoods, break up voting districts, or cause the relocation of lower income people?
Technical: How effective is the action in avoiding or reducing future losses? Will it create more problems than it solves? Does it solve the problem or only a symptom? Does the mitigation strategy address continued compliance with the NFIP?
Administrative: Does the jurisdiction have the capability (staff, technical experts, and/or funding) to implement the action, or can it be readily obtained? Can the community provide the necessary maintenance?
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Can it be accomplished in a timely manner?
Political: Is there political support to implement and maintain this action? Is there a local champion willing to help see the action to completion? Is there enough public support to ensure the success of the action? How can the mitigation objectives be accomplished at the lowest cost to the public?
Legal: Does the community have the authority to implement the proposed action? Are the proper laws, ordinances, and resolution in place to implement the action? Are there any potential legal consequences? Is there any potential community liability? Is the action likely to be challenged by those who may be negatively affected? Does the mitigation strategy address continued compliance with the NFIP?
Economic: Are there currently sources of funds that can be used to implement the action? What benefits will the action provide? Does the cost seem reasonable for the size of the problem and likely benefits? What burden will be placed on the tax base or local economy to implement this action? Does the action contribute to other community economic goals such as capital improvements or economic development? What proposed actions should be considered but be “tabled” for implementation until outside sources of funding are available?
Environmental: How will this action affect the environment (land, water, endangered species)? Will this action comply with local, state, and federal environmental laws and regulations? Is the action consistent with community environmental goals?
Implementation of the mitigation plan is critical to the overall success of the mitigation planning process. The first step is to decide, based upon many factors, which action will be undertaken first. In order to pursue the top priority first, an analysis and prioritization of the actions is important.
Table 32 lists the factors to consider in the analysis and prioritization of actions. Some actions may occur before the top priority due to financial, engineering, environmental, permitting, and site control issues. Public awareness and input of these mitigation actions can increase knowledge to capitalize on funding opportunities and monitoring the progress of an action.
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Table 32. STAPLE+E Planning Factors Mitigation actions are acceptable to the community if they do not adversely affect a S – Social particular segment of the population, do not cause relocation of lower income people, and if they are compatible with the community’s social and cultural values. Mitigation actions are technically most effective if they provide a long-term reduction of T – Technical losses and have minimal secondary adverse impacts. Mitigation actions are easier to implement if the jurisdiction has the necessary staffing A – Administrative and funding. Mitigation actions can truly be successful if all stakeholders have been offered an P – Political opportunity to participate in the planning process and if there is public support for the action. It is critical that the jurisdiction or implementing agency have the legal authority to L – Legal implement and enforce a mitigation action. Budget constraints can significantly deter the implementation of mitigation actions. E – Economic Hence, it is important to evaluate whether an action is cost-effective, as determined by a cost benefit review, and possible to fund. Sustainable mitigation actions that do not have an adverse effect on the environment, comply with federal, state, and local environmental regulations, and are consistent with E – Environmental the community’s environmental goals, have mitigation benefits while being environmentally sound.
5.3.1 Hazard Mitigation Actions Traverse County and its included municipalities share a common Multi-Hazard Mitigation plan and worked closely to develop it. These people work together with their city councils and the Traverse County Emergency Management Director to assure that the hazards and mitigation actions included in this plan are accurate and addressed in their jurisdictions. The jurisdictions responsible for each action are: Traverse County, Wheaton, Dumont, Tintah and Browns Valley.
Table 33 lists all mitigation actions for Traverse County and its jurisdictions. Appendix H contains separate mitigation action tables for each jurisdiction. Each of these mitigation action charts detail the hazard, the mitigation action to address it, the priority ranking for implementation (1 = High Priority; 2 = Moderate Priority; 3 = Low Priority), its current stage of implementation, the timeframe for implementation going forward, the jurisdictions who have identified they will work to implement the action, the responsible parties to carry through with implementation, and comments on how the plan will be implemented through existing planning mechanisms and funding to make implementation happen.
In addition to ranking the hazard mitigation actions using STAPLE+E, the planning team also reports on the status of the mitigation action. Completed and deleted mitigation actions are denoted in Appendix G. Ongoing mitigation actions from the initial review were incorporated into annual reviews by the mitigation team. The status designations are:
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New – actions have not yet started Ongoing – actions require continuing application In Progress – actions are currently being acted upon Complete – the action is complete Deferred – no progress has been made Deleted – the action is no longer relevant
The mitigation types are defined as follows:
P = Prevention PP = Property Protection PE = Public Education NRP = Natural Resource Protection ES = Emergency Services SI = Structural Improvement
The following acronyms are used throughout Table 33:
BDSWD = Bois de Sioux Watershed District CRP = Conservation Reserve Program CSP = Conservation Stewardship Program DNR = Department of Natural Resources EOC = Emergency Operations Center EOP = Emergency Operations Plan EQIP = Environmental Quality Incentives Program FEMA = Federal Emergency Management Agency GIS = Geographic Information Systems GPS = Global Positioning System HAN = Health Alert Network ICS = Incident Command System ISTS = Individual Sewage Treatment System MDH = Minnesota Department of Health MPCA = Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Mn DOT = Minnesota Department of Transportation NFIP = National Flood Insurance Program NIMS = National Incident Management Systems
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NRCS = Natural Resources Conservation Service SWDC = Soil and Water Conservation District TCEM = Traverse County Emergency Management TMDL = Total Maximum Daily Loads USACE = United States Army Corps of Engineers USDA = United States Department of Agriculture WRAP = Water Resources Action Plan
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Table 33. All Mitigation Actions for Traverse County Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Identify, relocate, tear down Traverse County, Project has been City Council or Township board or flood proof all repetitive In Browns Valley, performed in Browns 1 Flood Med. SI, PP 12/2017 with the help of TCEM to Unknown loss structures and critical Progress Dumont, Tintah, Valley stemming complete facilities. and Wheaton from flood. All jurisdictions fall Traverse County, under County board, Encourage continued In Browns Valley, 2 Flood High PE 12/2016 County board, city councils their own city Unknown compliance with the NFIP. Progress Dumont, Tintah, council, or township and Wheaton council. Adopt new flood plain County zoning administrator, When FEMA provides Traverse County, elevations and information emergency manager, county new data, Traverse Browns Valley, 3 Flood once available and inform High P, NRP Deferred 12/2017 boards, city clerks/ County will adopt & $2,000 Dumont, and the public of these new administrators, city councils, provide notification Tintah boundaries. townships to the public. Cities should adopt or Tintah, Dumont, When new plan is City administrators, clerks and 4 Flood update flood plain High P, PE Deferred and Browns drafted will work to $2,000 councils ordinances as needed. Valley get this done. Identify and improve roads and streets that are repeatedly flooded and washed away by modifying Traverse County, County highway department, This is worked on in and raising roads/streets, In Browns Valley, township boards, city street 5 Flood High SI, P, PP each jurisdiction Unknown providing improved drainage Progress Dumont, and departments, county engineer, each year. and stormwater removal, Tintah townships rip- rapping where needed and creating buffers and vegetation strips. County highway department, Traverse County, Develop a plan for preparing city street departments, city Browns Valley, Needs to be 6 Flood and distributing sandbags Med. PE, P New 12/2015 emergency managers, county $3,000 Dumont, Tintah, developed. when needed. emergency manager, county and Wheaton engineer
Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Establish a plan of action to address flood emergencies by identifying resources Have a list but needs both locally and outside of In Traverse County, County emergency manager, city to be updated and 7 Flood High P 12/2016 $2,000 the county that are needed Progress Browns Valley emergency managers have agreements and establish contracts or drafted up. agreements for this assistance. Educate the public on Have been doing this practices and programs that In Traverse County, County emergency manager, city $2,000 - 8 Flood Med. PE 12/2015 and need to assist in diminishing the Progress Browns Valley emergency managers $3,000 continue. effects of flooding. Conduct an equipment inventory for flood Traverse County, County emergency manager, city Have list, but needs 9 Flood emergencies and determine High P, PP New 12/2016 $1,000 Browns Valley emergency managers to have prices listed. what equipment is needed and how much it will cost. Periodically review and update the county’s EOP to In This is addressed 10 Flood address strategies in this Med. P, PP, PE Yearly Traverse County County emergency manager $2,000 Progress yearly. plan and other flood issues in the county. Evacuation plans should be Plans developed; developed, reviewed, need to exercise to Traverse County, County emergency manager, city 11 Flood rehearsed and updated as High PE, ES New 12/2016 see how they work, $5,000 Browns Valley emergency managers needed in areas prone to special need in city of flooding and flash flooding. Browns Valley. Study and identify water Bois de Sioux and Upper flow patterns and problems Minnesota Watersheds, county in the county in order to emergency manager, DNR, Corps 12 Flood High P, PE, NRP New 2018 Traverse County Unknown facilitate the development of Engineers, neighboring of further mitigation watersheds in South Dakota and projects. Minnesota
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Analyze the ditch systems in County ditch inspector, the county and surrounding BDSWD is the ditch In neighboring county ditch 13 Flood counties and make Med. P, PP, NRP Traverse County authority. They Unknown Progress authorities, area watershed improvements where follow MS103E. districts, townships needed. Bois de Sioux and Upper Address discrepancies Minnesota Watersheds, South between South Dakota and Dakota Dept. of Environment Minnesota permitting and Natural Resources requirements for flood In Traverse County, Watershed Protection Dept., MN BDSWD is currently 14 Flood structures such as dikes and High P, PP 12/2016 Unknown progress Browns Valley DNR, U.S. Army Corps of updating this info. levees and try to develop Engineers; Roberts County South similar permitting Dakota border townships are requirements and policies White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, between the two states. Easter, Becker, and Lake Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota Watersheds, South Dakota Department of Encourage the removal, Environment and Natural relocation, improvement or Resources Watershed alteration of structures, Traverse County, Have not worked on 15 Flood High PE, P, PP New 12/2017 Protection Department, MN Unknown levies, dikes and dams in Browns Valley this as of yet. South Dakota that cause DNR, Corps of Engineers; Roberts County South Dakota flooding in Traverse County. border townships are White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, Easter, Becker, and Lake Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota Watersheds, South Dakota Department of Encourage and complete Environment and Natural flood flow reduction projects Resources Watershed This is an ongoing both within the county and In Traverse County, 16 Flood High P, PP 12/2018 project that BDSWD Unknown in surrounding counties and Progress Browns Valley Protection Department, MN is taking care of. watersheds in both South DNR, Corps of Engineers; Dakota and Minnesota. Roberts County South Dakota border townships are White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, Easter, Becker, and Lake Page | 112
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation County water plan coordinator and ditch inspector, Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota Watersheds, neighboring county Coordinate water flow and water planners and ditch retention projects with In Traverse County, BDSWD is currently 17 Flood High P, PP 12/2017 inspectors, area watershed Unknown neighboring counties and progress Browns Valley working on this. districts, Corps of Engineers; area watersheds. Roberts County South Dakota border townships are White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, Easter, Becker, and Lake Reduce countywide flood These are in place damage to agricultural land, and being continually rural or urban development, worked on. and infrastructure by County water plan protecting against the ten In coordinator, Bois de Sioux and Seek to partner on 18 Flood Med. PP, P 12/2019 Traverse County Unknown year 24-hour runoff event progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds, projects instituted by for agricultural land in SWCD, NRCS, DNR any local units of Traverse County (from government or county’s water plan & private organizations BDSWD plan). where appropriate. Participate in the “project These are in place team” process implemented and being continually by the Bois de Sioux worked on. Watershed District, including County water plan meetings and work groups In coordinator, Bois de Sioux and Seek to partner on 19 Flood Med. PP, P 12/2019 Traverse County Unknown to develop specific plans for progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds, projects instituted by priority sub-watersheds and SWCD, NRCS, DNR any local units of projects to manage or government or reduce runoff in flood prone private organizations areas. where appropriate.
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation These are in place and being continually worked on. Utilize land retirement County water plan programs such as CRP to In coordinator, Bois de Sioux and Seek to partner on 20 Flood convert cropland into Med. P, PE, NRP 12/2019 Traverse County Unknown progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds, projects instituted by grassland and trees/ shrubs SWCD, NRCS, DNR to increase infiltration. any local units of government or private organizations where appropriate. Work on this is Address stormwater and continual. “Do not $10,000 County water plan drainage management dump” signs placed (from P, PP, PE, In coordinator, Bois de Sioux and 21 Flood issues to effectively manage Med. 12/2020 Traverse County by drains, cost county’s NRP Progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds, high volume runoff (from sharing for residue water SWCD, NRCS, DNR county’s water plan). management and plan) grassed waterways. Work on this is Encourage and explain the continual. “Do not County water plan benefits of residue dump” signs placed In coordinator, Bois de Sioux and 22 Flood management and grassed Med. PE 12/2020 Traverse County by drains, cost Unknown Progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds, waterways regarding sharing for residue SWCD, NRCS, DNR reduced runoff. management and grassed waterways. Work on this is continual. “Do not Assist communities and County water plan dump” signs placed developments in developing In coordinator, Bois de Sioux and 23 Flood Med. P, PE 12/2020 Traverse County by drains, cost Unknown sufficient stormwater Progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds, sharing for residue management plans. SWCD, NRCS, DNR management and grassed waterways.
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Work on this is Work with local youth continual. “Do not County water plan groups and the city planning dump” signs placed In coordinator, Bois de Sioux and 24 Flood and zoning department to Med. PE 12/2020 Traverse County by drains, cost Unknown Progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds, develop urban stormwater sharing for residue SWCD, NRCS, DNR runoff awareness. management and grassed waterways. Traverse County, Identify and complete flood City emergency managers and City of Browns In Browns Valley, 25 Flood protection and prevention High P, PP 12/2018 city councils, county Valley continues to Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, projects for cities. emergency manager work on this. and Wheaton Reduce flood flows within and downstream of the Drainage controls are watershed (county) to Bois de Sioux and Upper in place through reduce damages to public Minnesota Watersheds, county In BDSWD permits, 26 Flood and private property, High P, PP, NRP 12/2019 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown progress currently working on municipal services and plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. Redpath agricultural land (from Bois Army Corps of Engineers Impoundment. de Sioux Watershed District Plan) Bois de Sioux and Upper Develop an inventory of Minnesota Watersheds, county potential flood In 27 Flood High P, PP 12/2019 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown impoundment and flood progress plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. flow reduction sites. Army Corps of Engineers Need to stop or Provide/construct additional Bois de Sioux and Upper mitigate activities flood storage, impoundment Minnesota Watersheds, county In that would otherwise 28 Flood or flood flow reduction sites High P, PP, SI 12/2019 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown progress increase peak flow in throughout the entire plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. downstream watershed (county). Army Corps of Engineers hydrograph. Consider the Bois de Sioux and Upper implementation of a USACE Minnesota Watersheds, county In 29 Flood Feasibility Study for a multi- High P, PP 12/2019 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown progress purpose project that reduces plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. flood damage. Army Corps of Engineers
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Prevent damage from critical Bois de Sioux and Upper flood events while Minnesota Watersheds, county In Ongoing program in 30 Flood enhancing base flows (from Med. NRP, PE 2020 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown Progress place. Bois de Sioux Watershed plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. District Plan). Army Corps of Engineers Bois de Sioux and Upper Define, restore and/or Minnesota Watersheds, county create hydrologic areas that In Ongoing program in 31 Flood Med. NRP 2020 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown are critical for contributing Progress place. plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. to or sustaining base flows. Army Corps of Engineers Bois de Sioux and Upper Restore wetlands in critical Minnesota Watersheds, county In Ongoing program in 32 Flood areas in ways that augment Med. NRP 2020 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown Progress place. base flows. plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota Watersheds, county Restore drained lake basins In Ongoing program in 33 Flood Med. NRP 2020 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown to augment base flows. Progress place. plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Encourage flood control Bois de Sioux and Upper projects that provide Minnesota Watersheds, county opportunities for both flood In Continue education 34 Flood High PE, P 2020 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown damage reduction and Progress and encouragement. plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. environmental Army Corps of Engineers enhancement. Target flood prone areas with sandy soils and encourage no-till or In SWCD, NRCS, Bois de Sioux and Continues to have 35 Flood low-till farming practices Low P, PE, NRP 2020 Traverse County Unknown Progress Upper Minnesota Watersheds land in CRP. and conservation programs such as CRP on those lands to help reduce runoff.
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation The effect of drainage and channel improvements on downstream flooding conditions is a County ditch inspector, DNR, Encourage the development complicated issue In Bois de Sioux and Upper 36 Flood of site-specific analytical tool Med. NRP, PE, P 2020 Traverse County that requires and Unknown Progress Minnesota Watersheds U.S. for the permitting of ditches. appropriate Army Corps of Engineers mitigation measures. Currently these projects require a permit before construction. Work cooperatively with the Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota River Watershed Districts’ plans, policies and Bois de Sioux and Upper Parties are all willing In 37 Flood regulations and implement Med. P 2018 Traverse County Minnesota Watersheds, county to participate with Unknown Progress or encourage, as water plan coordinator each other. appropriate, projects identified by those watersheds. Study the possibility of Bois de Sioux and Upper creating flood diversion Minnesota Watersheds, county In Need to continue to 38 Flood channels and determine the High P, PP, NRP 2020 Traverse County emergency manager and water Unknown Progress work on. proper location for such plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. channels. Army Corps of Engineers Bois de Sioux and Upper Currently the Upper Minnesota Watersheds, county Minnesota Create flood diversion In 39 Flood High P, PP 2020 Traverse County emergency manager and water Watershed is Unknown channels as appropriate. Progress plan coordinator, DNR, U.S. working on a grant Army Corps of Engineers for this.
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage homes and Violent businesses without Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, city Need more basements to designate a In Browns Valley, 40 Extreme Med. P, PE 2019 emergency managers/staff/fire education to the $2,000 safe shelter where people Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and rescue public for this. may go in case of violent and Wheaton Cold storms. Identify structures in the Violent Have 1 safe house county that could be used as Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, being built. Need to safe shelters and make In Browns Valley, 41 Extreme Med. P, PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ get info out to the $2,000 arrangements to use those Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & fire and rescue public to determine facilities should the need and Wheaton Cold additional locations. arise. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Identify locations where safe County emergency manager, Determine if there is Browns Valley, 42 Extreme shelters should be Med. PE New 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ a need for more and $2,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & constructed. fire and rescue where to locate it. and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, 1 safe house is being Build safe structures as In Browns Valley, $30,000/ 43 Extreme Med. PE, P 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ constructed at the needed. Progress Dumont, Tintah, shelter Heat & fire and rescue lake. and Wheaton Cold Inform all residents and Violent visitors of safe shelter Traverse County, Have little info out Storms/ County emergency manager, locations through media In Browns Valley, but need to get more $3,000 - 44 Extreme Med. PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ campaigns, maps, websites, Progress Dumont, Tintah, out to better inform $5,000 Heat & fire and rescue newsletters and other and Wheaton public. Cold sources. Violent Evacuation plans for all Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, hazards should be In Browns Valley, Need to go over and 45 Extreme High P, PE, ES 2016 city emergency managers/staff/ $5,000 developed or reviewed and Progress Dumont, Tintah, update as needed. Heat & fire and rescue updated as needed. and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage all schools, senior Violent housing, multi-family Traverse County, Storms/ Facility owner/manager/ Need to work with housing units, care facilities In Browns Valley, $1,000/ 46 Extreme High P, PE 2020 administrator, county facilities to develop and facilities with vulnerable Progress Dumont, Tintah, facility Heat & emergency manager or improve plan. or large populations to have and Wheaton Cold a severe storm plan in place. Facility managers or boards, County emergency manager, city Identify and develop Violent emergency managers/ staff/fire evacuation plans and safe Traverse County, Storms/ and rescue departments, Need to get together shelters for public event Browns Valley, 47 Extreme High P, PE, New 2018 Traverse County Sheriff’s with these groups $5,000 areas such as fairgrounds, Dumont, Tintah, Heat & Office/dispatch center, Wheaton and develop a plan. golf courses, athletic fields, and Wheaton Cold Hospital and School, Browns parks or campgrounds. Valley Nursing Home and School, Traverse Care Center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Consider adoption and Browns Valley, 48 Extreme enforcement of the Low P New 2020 County board, city councils $20,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & universal building code. and Wheaton Cold Violent Identify new Emergency We have a primary Storms/ Operations Centers (EOCs) In facility and 49 Extreme as needed. Notify the public Med. PE 2016 Traverse County County emergency manager $2,000 Progress secondary facility, Heat & of EOC locations and a back- and EOC trailer. Cold up location to each center. Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Have replaced some, Storms/ fire and rescue, county Replace malfunctioning or P, PP, PE, In Browns Valley, need to check over 50 Extreme High 2018 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown old warning sirens. ES Progress Dumont, Tintah, others and replace as Heat & County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton needed. Cold center Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Need to check into Storms/ Provide backup power fire and rescue, county Browns Valley, how to get generator 51 Extreme sources to all sirens and High P, PP New 2017 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown Dumont, Tintah, supplies to each Heat & warning systems. County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton siren. Cold center
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Consider portable warning Storms/ sirens that can be moved to County emergency We have none at this 52 Extreme Low P New 2019 Traverse County Unknown areas of the county without manager, Sheriff’s Office time. Heat & warning systems. Cold Violent Have checked into Storms/ Consider adding permanent County emergency this for along the 53 Extreme Med. P, PE New 2019 Traverse County Unknown sirens in rural areas. manager lake; trying to secure Heat & funds. Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assess which cities need City emergency managers/ Browns Valley, Have not done this 54 Extreme additional sirens and seek High P New 2019 staff/fire and rescue, Unknown Dumont, Tintah, yet. Heat & funding for their purchase. county emergency manager and Wheaton Cold Implement technologies that enable emergency warnings to be dispatched or called out to any location in the Violent county to notify of severe Storms/ weather or other In We have purchased 55 Extreme High P,ES 2020 Traverse County County emergency manager Unknown emergencies (Reverse 911 or Progress the CodeRED system. Heat & similar software/ Cold technology). The inability to access phone numbers with this type of technology was identified as an issue. Violent Hospital and nursing Storms/ Promote the use of weather In home got them from 56 Extreme radios and look for funds to Med. P, PE 2020 Traverse County County emergency manager $2,000 Progress this program. Need Heat & purchase additional radios. to promote better. Cold Violent Traverse County, City emergency Storms/ Purchase weather radios for Browns Valley, managers/staff/fire, county 57 Extreme Med. ES New 2020 Not done. Unknown storm spotters. Dumont, Tintah, emergency manager, county Heat & and Wheaton sheriff or dispatch Cold
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Encourage improved cell Storms/ phone service in order to In Tower going up by 58 Extreme better utilize siren systems Med. ES, P 2020 Traverse County County emergency manager Unknown Progress Dumont. Heat & to alert populations affected Cold by severe weather. Violent Improve access to real-time Storms/ weather data such as Needs to be looked 59 Extreme temperature, wind speed, Med. P, PE New 2020 Traverse County County emergency manager Unknown at, how to establish. Heat & direction and storm Cold conditions. Encourage critical facilities including schools, hospitals County emergency manager, and nursing homes in the Violent facility owner/administrator, county to secure modern Storms/ Wheaton School, Browns Valley Weather radios have weather monitoring 60 Extreme High P, PE New 2020 Traverse County School, Wheaton Hospital, been placed in these Unknown technology, other than Heat & Traverse County Nursing Home, facilities. traditional radios and Cold Browns Valley Nursing home, televisions that provides Sheriff’s office severe weather notification and observation. Get additional funding for Violent the Incident Command Storms/ System (ICS) to purchase In CodeRed system in 61 Extreme equipment such as a new Med. P 2020 Traverse County County emergency manager $50,000 progress place. Heat & warning system and new Cold GPS equipment. Consider latest technology options. Violent Review and update the Traverse County, County emergency manager, Storms/ organizational structure for In Browns Valley, county sheriff’s department, city Needs to be 62 Extreme emergency response in High P 2020 $5,000 progress Dumont, Tintah, police department, Browns reviewed. Heat & order to have optimum and Wheaton Valley Fire, Wheaton Police Cold efficiency. Violent Storms/ Review and update In This is done 63 Extreme emergency operations plans High P 2020 Traverse County County emergency manager $5,000 Progress continuously. Heat & regularly. Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Seek opportunities for County emergency manager, In Browns Valley, 64 Extreme severe weather and storm High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city This is done yearly. unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & spotter training. police departments, city fire and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Expand severe weather County emergency manager, Info has been given In Browns Valley, 65 Extreme awareness week education High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city out and placed in $5,000 Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and training. police departments, city fire papers. and Wheaton Cold Assess and prioritize which Violent power lines are most Storms/ susceptible to damage and County emergency manager, $60,000 Need to continue 66 Extreme failure from severe weather High P New 2020 Traverse County electric utilities, Ottertail Power, per mile efforts. Heat & and hazard conditions and Rural Electric Coop approx. Cold seek funding to bury the lines underground. $60,000 Violent Bury power lines identified County emergency manager, per mile Storms/ as a priority by Traverse Traverse Electric Coop Power Need to continue approx. (5 67 Extreme Electric Coop Power High P New 2020 Traverse County Company, Rural Electric Coop, efforts. miles = Heat & Company in Lake Valley and Lake Valley and Clifton $300,000 Cold Clifton Townships. Townships approx.) Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Encourage tree trimming or Public Works, Traverse County In Browns Valley, This is continuously 68 Extreme no tree planting near power Med. PE 2020 Highway Dept., Rural Electric Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, done. Heat & lines. Coop, Ottertail Power and Wheaton Cold Violent SWCD currently Encourage the planting of Storms/ offers/promotes windbreaks to serve as a In 69 Extreme Med. P 2020 Traverse County SWCD, NRCS, DNR, MnDOT design planting Unknown “living snow fence” to help Progress Heat & services and cost prevent blizzard conditions. Cold share assistance
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assure adequate equipment Utility providers, city and county Have plans to get In Browns Valley, 70 Extreme is available to repair High P, ES 2020 public works departments, Rural more resources Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & damaged utilities. Electric Coop, Ottertail Power when needed. and Wheaton Cold 2 portable generators have Violent Inventory where backup Critical facility owners or been purchased. Storms/ power sources are most administrators, county Need to get for 71 Extreme needed and encourage the High PE, ES New 2020 Traverse County emergency manager, Wheaton Unknown Browns Valley Heat & purchase of those power Hospital, Traverse Care Center, school. Hospitals and Cold sources. Browns Valley Care Center nursing homes have generator County emergency manager, Violent Work with emergency Traverse County, utility providers, sheriff’s Storms/ responders to better In Browns Valley, department, city police This is an ongoing 72 Extreme Med. P, ES 2020 $1,000 coordinate emergency plans Progress Dumont, Tintah, departments, city and county process. Heat & with utility providers. and Wheaton public works, Rural Electric Cold Coop, Ottertail Power Prioritize water safety Ground/ efforts on priority areas such County Individual Sewage Surface as shoreland and areas of Treatment Systems (ISTS) 73 Water High NRP New 2020 Traverse County Unknown higher density development inspector, water plan Supply (from 2005 county water coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Contam. plan). Develop an annual work Ground/ plan to inspect ISTS annually Surface and provide assistance to In County ISTS inspector, water 74 Water High P 2020 Traverse County Currently doing this. $25,000 owners of ISTS that are not Progress plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply in compliance (from 2005 Contam. county water plan). Ground/ Work with new and updated Surface ISTS to ensure compliance In County ISTS inspector, water 75 Water with MPCA’s ISTS program High P 2020 Traverse County Currently doing this. $10,000 Progress plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply standards (from 2005 county Contam. water plan).
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Ground/ Educate owners about the Surface importance of proper ISTS to In County ISTS inspector, water 76 Water groundwater protection High P, PE 2020 Traverse County Currently doing this. $15,000 Progress plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply (from 2005 county water Contam. plan). Work with communities to develop operational and Ground/ safety systems where Traverse County, Surface needed and to ensure In Browns Valley, County ISTS inspector, water 77 Water High P 2020 Currently doing this. $25,000 proper maintenance and Progress Dumont, Tintah, plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply operation of systems in and Wheaton Contam. operation (from 2005 county water plan). Ground/ Partner with local realtors to Surface ensure compliance of ISTS In County ISTS inspector, water 78 Water before the sale of property High P, SI 2020 Traverse County Currently doing this. $5,000 Progress plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply (from 2005 county water Contam. plan). Partner with the regional public health agency to educate residents about the importance and availability Ground/ of well testing, types of tests Surface Have done tests and available, maximum In County water plan coordinator, 79 Water High PE, P 2020 Traverse County education will be $500 allowable limits on Progress Horizon Public Health, SWCD Supply ongoing. groundwater and drinking Contam. water contaminants, and what to do if a well is contaminated (from 2005 county water plan).
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation We offer cost share Create a program and/or for well sealing and literature to educate education. Also need producers about the to continue Ground/ importance of sealing promoting well Surface abandoned wells and In County water plan coordinator, sealing cost share 80 Water Med. P, PE 2020 Traverse County $14,000 allocate local water plan Progress SWCD through awareness Supply funding towards abandoned advertisement, and Contam. well sealing cost share publish a short article program (from 2005 county in local newspaper water plan). issues and newsletters annually Promote and assist with the Ground/ proper disposal of hazardous Surface household and agricultural Water wastes in both solid and Have pick up days 2 In Hazardous waste Rep. for 81 Supply liquid forms. Conduct one High P, PE 2020 Traverse County times a year and put $1,500 Progress County Contam. annual collection day each info in the papers. & Haz. year. Advertise collection to Mat. residents (from 2005 county water plan). Continue to maintain one Ground/ monitoring well to measure Surface This is done. Data is static water levels in In County water plan coordinator, 82 Water Low P 2020 Traverse County monitored and $3,500 northern Traverse County Progress SWCD Supply submitted to DNR. (from 2005 county water Contam. plan). Promote public education of maintaining groundwater Ground/ resources by developing Surface new and exciting programs SWCD has done this In County water plan coordinator, 83 Water for local youth; provide Low PE, P 2020 Traverse County and continues to do $1000 Progress SWCD Supply presentations about this. Contam. groundwater issues to local youth annually (from 2005 county water plan).
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Ground/ Surface Encourage cities to complete Dumont, Tintah, City clerk/administrator/water Browns Valley is 84 Water High P 2020 $5,000 wellhead protection plans. Wheaton staff/councils done. Supply Contam. Replace old wastewater Ground/ lines to help reduce high Traverse County, Some of the pipes Surface inflow and infiltration that In Wheaton, City councils, city wastewater have been replaced. 85 Water causes sewers to backup in Med. P, PP, SI 2020 Unknown Progress Dumont and utilities Still a work in Supply basements and overburdens Browns Valley progress. Contam. wastewater treatment facilities. Work with cities to develop Ground/ an alternative water supply Traverse County, Surface in case the existing water Browns Valley, 86 Water supply becomes Med. NRP New 2020 City utility staff, city councils Unknown Dumont, Tintah, Supply contaminated or the water and Wheaton Contam. infrastructure becomes damaged. Ground/ Surface Flood proof, relocate or Traverse County, Water mitigate water and sewer Browns Valley, 87 Supply infrastructure and facilities Med. P New 2020 City councils, city utility staff Unknown Dumont, and Contam. that are susceptible to Wheaton & flooding. Flooding Contact feedlot owners and Ground/ advise them on the potential Surface hazards of surface water In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 88 Water Med. P, PE 2020 Traverse County This is done annually. $7,500 contamination from feedlot Progress MPCA, Township Boards Supply runoff (from 2005 County Contam. Water Plan).
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Work with feedlot owners to determine if pollution Ground/ hazards exist. If any exist, Surface provide appropriate In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 89 Water Med. P 2020 Traverse County This is done annually. $15,000 assistance to get the feedlot Progress MPCA, Township Boards Supply into compliance with Contam. effluent limits (from 2005 County Water Plan). Promote general and Ground/ continuous CRP contracts to Surface SWCD and NRCS staff convert cropland into In 90 Water Med. NRP 2020 Traverse County SWCD, NRCS, Township Boards continue to address $100,000 permanent and native Progress Supply these action items. vegetation (from 2005 Contam. County Water Plan). Ground/ Continue to support, Surface promote and provide tree SWCD and NRCS staff In 91 Water and grass planting services Med. NRP 2020 Traverse County SWCD, Township Boards continue to address $20,000 Progress Supply (from 2005 County Water these action items. Contam. Plan). Educate producers about the negative effects of Ground/ phosphorus loading on local Surface SWCD and NRCS staff waters caused by erosion In Watershed districts, SWCD, 92 Water Med. PE, NRP 2020 Traverse County continue to address $3,500 and sedimentation with Progress Township Boards Supply these action items. specific attention given to Contam. Lake Traverse (from 2005 County Water Plan). Ground/ Promote and install filter Surface SWCD and NRCS staff strips along eligible streams, In 93 Water Med. P, NRP 2020 Traverse County SWCD, NRCS, Township Boards continue to address $15,000 ditches and creeks (from Progress Supply these action items. 2005 County Water Plan). Contam. Ground/ Install field windbreaks to Surface reduce wind erosion leading SWCD and NRCS staff In 94 Water to sedimentation of waters Med. P, NRP 2020 Traverse County SWCD, Township Boards continue to address $125,000 Progress Supply (from 2005 County Water these action items. Contam. Plan).
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Educate producers on the Ground/ value of conservation tillage Surface SWCD and NRCS staff for soil conservation by In 95 Water Low PE, NRP 2020 Traverse County SWCD, NRCS, Township Boards continue to address $1,500 attending local producer’s Progress Supply these action items. meetings annually (from Contam. 2005 county water plan). Show examples and explanations of the benefits of using conservation tillage practices and the erosion Ground/ that may result if no Surface SWCD and NRCS staff conservation tillage In 96 Water Low PE, NRP 2020 Traverse County SWCD, NRCS, Township Boards continue to address $2,500 practices are used at the Progress Supply these action items. Traverse County Fair and Contam. meetings for local agricultural or political leaders (from 2005 county water plan). Continue to promote and administer the Ag BMP low Ground/ interest loan program for Surface SWCD and NRCS staff minimum tillage farming In 97 Water Med. P, PE 2020 Traverse County SWCD, Township Boards continue to address $2,500 equipment through the MN Progress Supply these action items. Department of Agriculture Contam. (from 2005 County Water Plan). Continue to promote and Ground/ maintain the no-till grain Surface SWCD and NRCS staff drill rental availability In 98 Water Low NRP 2020 Traverse County SWCD, Township Boards continue to address $1,500 through the Traverse SWCD Progress Supply these action items. at a reasonable rate (from Contam. 2005 county water plan).
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Publish any relevant articles Ground/ about groundwater Surface SWCD and NRCS staff protection in newsletters In 99 Water Med. PE 2020 Traverse County SWCD, NRCS, Township Boards continue to address $2,500 and local newspapers Progress Supply these action items. annually (from 2005 County Contam. Water Plan). Utilize incentives from USDA Ground/ programs such as EQIP and Surface SWCD and NRCS staff CSP to promote and reward In 100 Water High P 2020 Traverse County SWCD, NRCS, Township Boards continue to address $500,000 proper land stewardship Progress Supply these action items. (from 2005 county water Contam. plan). Partner with the Bois de Ground/ Sioux Watershed District and Surface Watershed districts, MPCA, SWCD and NRCS staff MPCA to work towards the In 101 Water Med. P 2020 Traverse County county water plan coordinator, continue to address $3,500 identification of impaired Progress Supply DNR, NRCS, SWCD these action items. waters (from 2005 county Contam. water plan). Participate in the impaired waters process, evaluating Ground/ waters for contamination Surface Watershed districts, MPCA, SWCD and NRCS staff and developing the TMDL In 102 Water Med. P, NRP 2020 Traverse County county water plan coordinator, continue to address $5,000 and implementation plan. Progress Supply DNR, NRCS, SWCD these action items. Work with other local Contam. agencies in this task (from 2005 County Water Plan). Support and cooperate with watershed districts and the Ground/ MPCA on the Mustinka Surface River, Twelvemile Creek and Watershed districts, MPCA, In 103 Water Lake Traverse TMDL Med. P 2020 Traverse County county water plan coordinator, BDSWD does this. $2,500 Progress Supply processes and other projects DNR, NRCS, SWCD Contam. within or affecting Traverse County (from 2005 County Water Plan).
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Ground/ Assist and cooperate with Converted to Water Surface additional TMDL processes Watershed districts, MPCA, Resources Action In 104 Water for other water bodies as Med. P 2020 Traverse County county water plan coordinator, Plan (WRAP) N/A Progress Supply they are determined (from DNR, NRCS, SWCD program. BDSWD Contam. 2005 County Water Plan). takes care of this. Promote and implement best management practices Ground/ for water quality in areas Surface Watershed districts, MPCA, SWCD and NRCS staff determined as high priority In 105 Water Med. PE 2020 Traverse County county water plan coordinator, continue to address $30,000 for the coordination of Progress Supply DNR, NRCS, SWCD these action items. Water Resources Action Plan Contam. (WRAP) (from 2005 County Water Plan). Continue to assist feedlot Ground/ owners in working towards Surface SWCD and NRCS staff total compliance with In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 106 Water High PE 2020 Traverse County continue to address $37,500 Minnesota State Feedlot Progress MPCA, townships Supply these action items. Rules (from 2005 county Contam. water plan). Provide education about and Ground/ enforcement of rules Surface concerning the location of SWCD and NRCS staff In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 107 Water new feedlots or expansions Med. PE, NRP 2020 Traverse County continue to address $7,500 Progress MPCA, townships Supply in relation to distance from these action items. Contam. wells and waters (from 2005 county water plan). Provide education to all Ground/ feedlot owners with manure Surface SWCD and NRCS staff stockpiles. Stockpiles must In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 108 Water Med. PE, NRP 2020 Traverse County continue to address $2,500 be removed and re- Progress MPCA, townships Supply these action items. vegetated annually (from Contam. 2005 county water plan).
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Complete inspections of a Ground/ portion of the liquid manure Surface storage areas annually to SWCD and NRCS staff In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 109 Water check for damage and to High P 2020 Traverse County continue to address $5,000 Progress MPCA, townships Supply ensure proper maintenance these action items. Contam. (from 2005 county water plan). Provide education to all Ground/ feedlot owners about the Surface SWCD and NRCS staff proper storage and In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 110 Water Med. PE, P 2020 Traverse County continue to address $1,500 disposal of animal Progress MPCA, townships Supply these action items. mortalities (from 2005 Contam. county water plan). Promote alternative and acceptable methods of disposal of animal Ground/ mortalities with cost share Surface programs such as, but not SWCD and NRCS staff In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 111 Water limited to, funding compost Low PE, P 2020 Traverse County continue to address $2,500 Progress MPCA, townships Supply facilities with the federally these action items. Contam. funded Environmental Quality Incentive Program (from 2005 county water plan). Provide education to all feedlot owners or recipients Ground/ of manure about the proper Surface SWCD and NRCS staff application of manure on In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 112 Water Med. PE, P 2020 Traverse County continue to address $2,500 cropland for nutrient Progress MPCA, townships Supply these action items. content with testing and Contam. spreader calibration (from 2005 county water plan). Ground/ Carefully review and Surface monitor the construction of SWCD and NRCS staff In County feedlot officer, SWCD, 113 Water new liquid manure storage High P 2020 Traverse County continue to address Unknown Progress MPCA, townships Supply areas (from 2005 county these action items. Contam. water plan).
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Traverse County, Establish methods of Browns Valley, County emergency manager, city 114 Drought banking water for Low ES New 2016 Unknown Dumont, Tintah, water staff emergencies. and Wheaton Drill monitoring wells into each of the county’s major aquifers at appropriate County water plan coordinator, locations and establish an 115 Drought Med. NRP New 2019 Traverse County MDH, DNR, watershed districts, Unknown ongoing program to monitor SWCD aquifer levels and water quality. Coordinate data with SWCD test wells. Establish a comprehensive County water plan 116 Drought and ongoing water- Med. NRP New 2019 Traverse County coordinator, watershed districts, Unknown monitoring program. SWCD Include water conservation Traverse County, provisions and use Browns Valley, 117 Drought restrictions in times of Low P, PE New 2018 City councils, county board Unknown Dumont, Tintah, drought in county or city and Wheaton ordinances. Monitor semi-annual or annual water consumption County water plan coordinator, 118 Drought by various major consumers Low P New 2019 Traverse County Unknown watershed districts, SWCD for the potential impact to the aquifer. Estimate the annual County water plan recharge rates or the 119 Drought Low P New 2019 Traverse County coordinator, watershed districts, Unknown capacities of the various SWCD aquifers in the county. Educate the public on water County water plan saving tips during times of 120 Drought Med. PE New 2015 Traverse County coordinator, watershed districts, $1,000 dry weather or drought SWCD conditions. Assess the need for new and Traverse County, Structure up-to-date communication In Browns Valley, City fire department chiefs, 121 High P, ES 2018 In progress. Unknown Fires and firefighting equipment progress Dumont, Tintah, dispatch personnel and purchase as needed. and Wheaton Page | 132
Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Traverse County, Encourage increased training Structure In Browns Valley, Received grant for 122 opportunities for fire High ES, P 2018 City fire department chiefs Unknown Fires progress Dumont, Tintah, education. departments. and Wheaton Traverse County, Structure Construct additional dry Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Need to add more in 123 Med. P New 2019 Unknown Fires hydrants as needed. Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR the county. and Wheaton Educate county residents Traverse County, Structure and critical facilities in the In Browns Valley, $3,000 - 124 High PE 2020 City fire department chiefs This is done yearly. Fires county on fire safety and Progress Dumont, Tintah, $5,000 prevention. and Wheaton Assess the need for proper Need to be personal protection County emergency manager, determined who Hazardous 125 equipment to respond to Med. P, ES New 2019 Traverse County hazardous material facility they are before Unknown Materials hazardous material disasters owners/operators jurisdiction can be and purchase as needed. named. County emergency manager, West Central Environmental, Encourage participation in Traverse County, MPCA, fire departments, public Hazardous regional exercises that test In Browns Valley, health agencies, law Taking part in all that $2,000 - 126 Low ES, P, PE 2020 Materials local plans and interaction Progress Dumont, Tintah, enforcement, emergency are available. $3,000 between local agencies. and Wheaton responders, neighboring county emergency managers including South Dakota Train on mass evacuation County emergency manager, Traverse County, and response procedures for sheriff’s department, police, fire Hazardous Browns Valley, Working with Law $2,000 - 127 a radiological/ hazardous Low P, PE New 2019 departments, emergency Materials Dumont, Tintah, Enforcement. $3,000 material incident with local responders, 1St Responders from and Wheaton emergency responders. Browns Valley and Wheaton Conduct emergency Traverse County, Fire departments, county Hazardous response planning and In Browns Valley, Will attend trainings $2,000 - 128 Med. P, PE 2020 emergency manager, pipeline Materials procedures related to Progress Dumont, Tintah, when available. $3,000 officials, Alliance Pipeline pipeline safety and hazards. and Wheaton
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Assess the need for Traverse County Sheriff Office, Hazardous equipment to address meth Traverse County, Working with Law 129 High P New 2019 Wheaton Police Department, Unknown Materials clean up, and purchase Wheaton Enforcement. West Central Environmental equipment as needed. Traverse County, City of Hazardous Develop or update plans to Traverse County, Working with Law 130 High ES New 2019 Wheaton Police, Traverse $2,000 Materials address meth lab clean up. Wheaton Enforcement. County Sheriff’s Office Encourage training for fire Traverse County, Traverse County Fire Will attend trainings Hazardous departments to increase In Browns Valley, 131 Low ES, P 2019 Departments from Wheaton, when training is Unknown Materials their hazardous materials progress Dumont, Tintah, Tintah, Dumont, Browns Valley available. response levels. and Wheaton Encourage facilities that Information needs to have hazardous or be sent out to find radiological substances to County emergency manager, Hazardous out who has it. The 132 publicly identify themselves High P New 2018 Traverse County hazardous materials facility Unknown Materials jurisdiction needs to and develop detection owners/operators be identified before systems and emergency it can be complete. response plans. Assist cities and townships Traverse County, County emergency manager, with hazardous facilities to Hazardous Browns Valley, city clerks/administrators/ Get above info to $3,000 - 133 have hazardous material High P New 2018 Materials Dumont, Tintah, police/fire department, help with this. $5,000 emergency response plans in and Wheaton township boards place. Map all 302/312 facilities in Hazardous In County emergency manager, 134 the county using GIS or Med. P, ES 2018 Traverse County Need to update this. $5,000 Materials progress County Engineering Department similar mapping technology. Periodically review and develop strategies for Hazardous implementing the county’s 135 Low P New 2019 Traverse County County emergency manager Need to address this. Unknown Materials overall radiological preparedness and mitigation efforts.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation County emergency manager, Review and update as West Central Environmental, needed the current EOP to MPCA, fire departments, city coordinate more effectively administrators/clerks, public Hazardous with local cities, adjoining In 136 High P 2018 Traverse County health agencies, law Need to work on this. Unknown Materials counties and hazardous progress enforcement, emergency material facilities in dealing responders, neighboring county with hazardous material emergency managers including events. South Dakota Encourage facilities located within the county that use, store, manufacture or County emergency manager, transport hazardous Traverse County, hazardous and radiological materials to develop Hazardous Browns Valley, material facility owners/ 137 systems and train their High P New 2019 Need to work on this. Unknown Materials Dumont, and operators, Wheaton/Dumont employees so as to be able Wheaton Coop Elevator, Browns Valley to promptly determine and Fertilizer Plant report that a release of hazardous materials has occurred. Update the County’s Water Plan to address hazardous Hazardous In Will be updated in 138 materials in the county as Med. P 2017 Traverse County County water plan coordinator Unknown Materials progress 2017. they relate to ground and surface water. Develop a systematic information and education Infectious program that provides In Horizon Public Health, Traverse Continually work on 139 High PE 2020 Traverse County $5,000 Disease useful and factual Progress County Public Health this. information to the public about infectious diseases. Educate the public on websites and data centers Infectious In Horizon Public Health, Traverse $1,000 - 140 for accurate and current High PE 2020 Traverse County This is ongoing. Disease Progress County Public Health $2,00 information on infectious diseases.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Develop, maintain and Horizon Public Health, county Infectious update materials, plans and In $5,000 - 141 High P 2020 Traverse County emergency manager, Traverse This is ongoing. Disease agreements for addressing Progress $10,000 County Public Health infectious disease. Evaluate the effectiveness of mosquito control (spraying) Traverse County, in the cities and some parts Infectious Browns Valley, City maintenance staff, city New equipment was 142 of county and purchase Low P New 2018 Unknown Disease Dumont, Tintah, councils purchased in 2014. equipment and develop and Wheaton mosquito spraying plans as needed. Conduct community and emergency responder Infectious Horizon Public Health, Traverse One is going to be $1,000 - 143 planning and training events Med. P New 2015 Traverse County Disease County Public Health conducted in 2015. $2,000 to prepare for an infectious disease outbreak. Continue to implement the Infectious In Horizon Public Health, Traverse Currently being 144 Minnesota Health Alert High ES, PE, P 12/2020 Traverse County Unknown Disease Progress County Public Health worked on. Network (HAN). Traverse County, Train firefighters to fight In Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Grant was received 145 Wildfires High ES 8/2015 Unknown wildfires. Progress Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards for training. and Wheaton Inventory wildfire equipment owned by the local fire departments, DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife P, PP, NRP, In Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Need to check with 146 Wildfires High 12/2016 Traverse County Unknown Service to determine ES Progress Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards departments deficiencies and purchase additional equipment as needed. Assess where existing dry hydrants are, where fire There is one in the risks are greatest, and where P, PP, NRP, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and 147 Wildfires Med. New 2019 Traverse County county. Need to Unknown water bodies suitable to ES Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards establish more. support a dry hydrant are located. Page | 136
Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation There is one in the Construct additional dry P, PP, NRP, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and 148 Wildfires Med. New 12/2019 Traverse County county. Need to Unknown hydrants as needed. ES Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards establish more. Review and update the EOP as needed to assure proper P, PP, NRP, In This is updated 149 Earthquake plans and resources are in Low 12/2015 Traverse County County emergency manager $1,000 ES, SI Progress yearly. place in the event of an earthquake. Encourage the implementation of security measures and purchase of Traverse County, County emergency manager, city Schools and security equipment for In Browns Valley, 150 Terrorism Med. P, PP, NRP 12/2019 staff, Wheaton Area Schools, courthouse have Unknown governmental buildings, Progress Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley Schools cameras. schools, infrastructure and and Wheaton critical facilities in the county. County emergency manager, Coordinate emergency U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, response plans with the U.S. Township representative for Army Corps of Engineers West Monson and Taylor 151 Terrorism Med. P New 12/2017 Traverse County Need to do this. Unknown terrorism plans in place for Townships, Townships adjacent their dams and flood control to dams/flood structures; structures. populations downstream of dams/flood structures. NIMS training is Ensure all cities and important to have so emergency personnel that everyone works All In 152 receive National Incident High ES, P 12/2016 Traverse County County emergency manager together and has and $5,000 Hazards progress Management Systems understanding of (NIMS) training. how the system will run.
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Traverse County Comments on Action Mitigation Time- Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation This is important so that we know what we have in our Update and expand the county at our All County’s emergency ES, PE, In 153 High 12/2015 Traverse County County emergency manager disposal for use and $1,000 Hazards management resource NRP, PP, progress who to contact if we guide. need those resources that are named in the guide.
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5.3.2 Mitigation Actions by Community This is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Traverse County and the cities of Browns Valley, Dumont, Tintah and Wheaton. The Traverse County risks and mitigation activities identified in this plan also incorporate the concerns and needs of townships, school districts, and other entities participating in this plan.
Mitigation actions by jurisdiction for the above cities are separated out in Tables H – 1 through H - 4 in Appendix H.
Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Section 6 – Plan Maintenance
6.1 Monitoring, Evaluation, and Updating the Plan The Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) should be considered a living document. The plan should be reviewed at a minimum of every 5 years. The guidance in this section will function as the primary tool when reviewing progress on the implementation of the Traverse County MHMP.
Throughout the 5-year planning cycle, the Traverse County Emergency Management Director will reconvene the MHMP planning team to monitor, evaluate, and update the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan as part of its annual Emergency Management Review. Additional stakeholders will be added based on need. If needed, the Traverse County Emergency Management Director will convene the group to meet on a more regular basis to monitor plan implementation progress and reassess needs and opportunities. This could be done annually, or in response to funding cycles of programs that provide resources for hazard mitigation activities. If there is a need for a special meeting due to new developments or a declared disaster occurring in the county, the team will meet to update pertinent mitigation strategies. Depending on grant opportunities and fiscal resources, mitigation projects may be implemented independently by individual communities or through local partnerships.
The planning team will review the MHMP goals and objectives to determine their relevance to changing situations in Traverse County. In addition, state and federal policies will be reviewed to ensure they are addressing current and expected conditions. The planning team will also review the risk assessment portion of the plan to determine if this information should be updated or modified. The parties responsible for the various implementation actions will report on the status of their projects, and will include which implementation processes worked well, any difficulties encountered, how coordination efforts are proceeding, and which strategies should be revised.
Updates or modifications to the MHMP during the 5-year planning process will require a public notice and a meeting prior to submitting revisions to the individual jurisdictions for approval. The plan will be updated via written changes, submissions as the planning team deems appropriate and necessary, and as approved by the county commissioners.
6.2 Implementation Traverse County and its included municipalities share a common Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan and work together closely to develop, revise, and implement it. This MHMP provides a comprehensive chart of mitigation actions for Traverse County and its jurisdictions (see Section 5.3.1, Hazard Mitigation Actions, and Table 33). Jurisdictions participated in the MHMP planning process and identified the specific mitigation strategies that they would seek to implement in their communities during the 5-year planning cycle. These mitigation actions are also provided in Appendix H: Mitigation Actions by Jurisdiction.
A number of implementation tools are available to address hazards. Many of these tools are below, however, in some cases additional discussion is needed in order to identify what strategies are most
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appropriate to use. This will be part of an ongoing discussion as Traverse County looks for opportunities for plan implementation. The following tools should be considered:
Education: In many cases education of residents has been identified as one of the most effective mitigation strategies.
Capital Investments: Capital investments such as fire and ambulance equipment, sprinkler systems and dry hydrants are tools that can limit risks and impacts of natural and man-made hazards.
Data Collection and Needs Assessments: Data collection and needs assessments can aid in gaining a better understanding of threats and allow planning for mitigation strategies accordingly. As resources are limited for this part of the planning process, additional data collection is likely to be an ongoing activity as resources become available.
Coordination: Responsibilities for mitigation strategies run across various county departments, local fire and ambulance departments, city and township governments, and a host of state and federal agencies. Ongoing coordination is an important tool to ensure resources are used efficiently. Coordination can also avoid duplication of efforts or prevent gaps that are created because of unclear roles and responsibilities. The mitigation plan review process can function as a tool to have an ongoing discussion of roles, responsibilities, and opportunities for coordination.
Regional Cooperation: Counties and public safety services providers throughout the Northeastern Region of Minnesota often share similar challenges and concerns. In some cases a regional approach may be warranted as a mitigation strategy in order to save resources. Mutual aid agreements are a tool already in use for a number of services. Needs assessments for fire and ambulance services and development of assistance for volunteer recruiting, training, and retention could benefit from a regional approach. Cooperation among counties could also help in lobbying for certain funding priorities that address concerns relating to challenges in service delivery in rural areas. Organizations such as FEMA Region V and the MN Department of HSEM through the Regional Program Coordinator can offer tools and resources to assist in these cooperative efforts.
Regulation: Regulation is an important mitigation tool for Traverse County. Regulation plays a particularly important role for land use, access to structures and the protection of water resources and public health.
6.3 Continued Public Involvement Continued public involvement is critical to the successful implementation of the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP). The County and its participating jurisdictions should continue to engage new public stakeholders in planning discussions and project implementation during the 5-year cycle of this plan.
During the 5-year period before the plan is updated, planning team members will be responsible to keep their city councils, city departments, schools, and community members updated and engaged in the implementation of their respective mitigation action charts (see Appendix H: Mitigation Actions by Jurisdiction). Each respective jurisdiction will report their progress in this area to the Traverse County
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Emergency Management Director. Jurisdictions will use numerous means of public outreach to engage new public stakeholders in providing input on mitigation efforts or concerns on hazards by sharing information at city council meetings, sharing information at special events, working with local schools and partner organizations, and posting information on relevant local or social media that their communities use to inform and engage the public. As local mitigation projects are implemented, jurisdictions will work to keep the public updated and engaged in those local efforts.
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APPENDICES
TRAVERSE COUNTY MULTI-HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN, 2015
Appendix A – Traverse County Maps Appendix B – Traverse County Critical Facilities Appendix C – Traverse County Hazard Events Appendix D – Adopting Resolutions Appendix E – Planning Team Meetings Appendix F – Public Meeting Notices and Meeting Notes Appendix G – Completed and Deleted Actions from the 2008 Plan Appendix H – Mitigation Actions by Jurisdiction Appendix I – Works Cited Appendix J – Traverse County Plans & Programs in Place
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Appendix A Traverse County Maps
Figure A - 1. Hydrography of Traverse County ...... 2 Figure A - 2. Traverse County Population by Census Block, 2010 ...... 3 Figure A - 3. Fire Departments and Fire Response Times in Traverse County ...... 4 Figure A - 4. Traverse County Public Safety and Government Services ...... 5 Figure A - 5. Traverse County Utilities and Communication Infrastructure ...... 6 Figure A - 6. Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) Sites in Traverse County ...... 7 Figure A - 7. Traverse County Transportation Infrastructure ...... 8 Figure A - 8. Traverse County Land Cover, National Land Cover Database, 2006 ...... 9 Figure A - 9. Land Ownership by Agency in Traverse County ...... 10 Figure A - 10. Most Recent Severe Wind and Hail Storms in Traverse County...... 11 Figure A - 11. Tornado Touchdowns and Paths in Traverse County, 1950-2014 ...... 12 Figure A - 12. Dams in Traverse County ...... 13 Figure A - 13. Sites with Hazardous or Chemical Waste in Traverse County ...... 14 Figure A - 14. Health Care Providers in Traverse County ...... 15 Figure A - 15. Traverse County Groundwater Contamination Susceptibility and Municipal Wells ...... 16 Figure A - 16. Critical Facilities in Traverse County ...... 17 Figure A - 17. Critical Facilities in the City of Wheaton ...... 18 Figure A - 18. Critical Facilities in the City of Browns Valley ...... 19 Figure A - 19. Distribution of Estimated Economic Loss for Traverse County in 100-Year Flood ...... 20 Figure A - 20. Census Block #271559602002032 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley ...... 21 Figure A - 21. Census Block #271559602002030 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley ...... 22 Figure A - 22. Census Block #271559602002033 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley ...... 23 Figure A - 23. Census Block #271559602001075 and 100-Year Floodplain in Dumont ...... 24 Figure A - 24. Census Block #271559602001191 and 100-Year Floodplain near Browns Valley ...... 25 Figure A - 25. Dumont Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain ...... 26 Figure A - 26. Tintah Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain ...... 27 Figure A - 27. Feedlots in Traverse County ...... 28
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Figure A - 1. Hydrography of Traverse County
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Figure A - 2. Traverse County Population by Census Block, 2010
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Figure A - 3. Fire Departments and Fire Response Times in Traverse County
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Figure A - 4. Traverse County Public Safety and Government Services
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Figure A - 5. Traverse County Utilities and Communication Infrastructure
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Figure A - 6. Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) Sites in Traverse County
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Figure A - 7. Traverse County Transportation Infrastructure
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Figure A - 8. Traverse County Land Cover, National Land Cover Database, 2006
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Figure A - 9. Land Ownership by Agency in Traverse County
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Figure A - 10. Most Recent Severe Wind and Hail Storms in Traverse County
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Figure A - 11. Tornado Touchdowns and Paths in Traverse County, 1950-2014
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Figure A - 12. Dams in Traverse County
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Figure A - 13. Sites with Hazardous or Chemical Waste in Traverse County
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Figure A - 14. Health Care Providers in Traverse County
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Figure A - 15. Traverse County Groundwater Contamination Susceptibility and Municipal Wells
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Figure A - 16. Critical Facilities in Traverse County
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015 Figure A - 17. Critical Facilities in the City of Wheaton
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015 Figure A - 18. Critical Facilities in the City of Browns Valley
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Figure A - 19. Distribution of Estimated Economic Loss for Traverse County in 100-Year Flood
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Figure A - 20. Census Block #271559602002032 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley
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Figure A - 21. Census Block #271559602002030 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley
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Figure A - 22. Census Block #271559602002033 and 100-Year Floodplain in Browns Valley
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Figure A - 23. Census Block #271559602001075 and 100-Year Floodplain in Dumont
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Figure A - 24. Census Block #271559602001191 and 100-Year Floodplain near Browns Valley
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Figure A - 25. Dumont Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain
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Figure A - 26. Tintah Essential Facility in 100-Year Floodplain
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Figure A - 27. Feedlots in Traverse County
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Appendix B Traverse County Critical Facilities
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Agriculture & Food Cenex C Store Browns Valley MN 56219 Maynards Browns Valley MN 56219 Willy’s Supervalue Wheaton MN 56296
Banking & Finance Bank of the West 1024 Broadway Wheaton MN 56296 State Bank of Wheaton 921 Broadway Wheaton MN 56296 Star Bank 1019 Broadway Wheaton MN 56296 Union State Bank 325 Broadway Browns Valley MN 56219
Chemical and Hazardous Materials Browns Valley Demo Debris Land Disposal 48593 Hwy 27 Browns Valley MN 56219 Browns Valley Dump Browns Valley MN 56219 Browns Valley Elevator 204 Second Street North Browns Valley MN 56219 Browns Valley Health Center 114 Jefferson St S Browns Valley MN 56219 Browns Valley Public School 118 Church St, Box N Browns Valley MN 56219 CHS Inc. - Border States - Browns Valley 408 Second Ave West Browns Valley MN Agronomy 56219 Dumont Dump Dumont MN 56236 Hansen Sales & Service, Inc. Hwy 28 W Browns Valley MN 56219 Harvest States Agronomy Center Browns Valley MN 56219 Larson Oil Co. - Bulk Trail St Wheaton MN 56296 MN DOT D4 Wheaton 505 2nd Ave S Wheaton MN 56296 Pearson Elementary School 710 4th Ave N Wheaton MN 56296 Raguse Bus Lines, Inc. 601 Front Street Wheaton MN 56296 Reese Welding US Hwy 75 Wheaton MN 56296 Tintah Dump Tintah MN 56583 Tri County Coop Oil Assn. 201 5th St S Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Demolition Debris Disposal 104 9th St N Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Dumont Coop Elevator-WD Aerial 6425 State Hwy 27 Wheaton MN Spraying, LLC 56296 Wheaton-Dumont Coop Elevator - Wheaton 1115 Broadway Ave Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton-Dumont Coop Elevator-Dumont 211 US Hwy 75 South Dumont MN Agronomy 56236 Wheaton Dump Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton High School 1700 3rd Ave S Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Swimming Pool 1601 2nd Ave S Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Water Plant 1 mile E Hwy 27 Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton/Dumont Agronomy Center 6593 US Hwy 75 Wheaton MN 56296
Dams White Rock Dam MN Redpath 21 Dam MN Reservation Highway Dam MN
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Dams Browns Valley Dike on Lake Traverse MN Browns Valley Diversion MN
Energy Otter Tail Power Company 215 South Cascade St Fergus Falls MN 56537 Traverse Electric Co-Op Inc. 1618 Broadway Wheaton MN 56296
Emergency Services Browns Valley Fire Department 19 3rd Street South Browns Valley MN 56219 Browns Valley Ambulance Service Browns Valley MN 56219 Dumont Fire Department Main Street East Dumont MN 56236 Sanford Wheaton Medical Center 401 12th Street N Wheaton MN 56296 Ambulance Services Tintah Fire Department 105 3rd Street Tintah MN 56583 Traverse County Emergency Management 708 3rd Avenue North Wheaton MN 56296 Traverse County Sheriff’s Office – Browns 19 3rd Street South Browns Valley MN 56219 Valley Traverse County Sheriff’s Office 203 7th Street North Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Fire Department 104 9th Street North Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Police Department 203 7th Street North Wheaton MN 56296
Communications Verizon Cell Tower Wheaton MN 56296 Verizon Cell Tower Folsom Township
Postal and Shipping U.S. Post Office 1107 Broadway Wheaton MN 56296 U.S. Post Office 101 Main St E Dumont MN 56236 U.S. Post Office 314 Broadway Browns Valley MN 56219
Government Facilities Bois de Sioux Watershed District 704 Highway 755 Wheaton MN 56296 Browns Valley City Hall 19 3rd St S Browns Valley MN 56219 Browns Valley Elementary & Middle Schools 118 Church St. Browns Valley MN 56219 Browns Valley Public Library 15 Third Street S Browns Valley MN 56219 City of Wheaton 104 9th St N Wheaton MN 56296 Pearson Elementary 710 4th Ave. N. Wheaton MN 56296 Tintah City Hall 105 3rd Street Tintah MN 56583 Traverse County Courthouse 702 2nd Ave North Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton High School 1700 3rd Ave. S. Wheaton MN 56296
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Government Facilities Wheaton Community Library 901 First Avenue N Wheaton MN 56296
Healthcare and Public Health Browns Valley Health Center 114 Jefferson Street S Browns Valley MN 56219 Sanford Wheaton Medical Center 401 12th Street N Wheaton MN 56296 Traverse Care Center 303 7th Street S Wheaton MN 56296 Traverse County Public Health 1005 Broadway Wheaton MN 56296 Traverse County Social Services 202 8th Street North Wheaton MN 56296
Transportation Rainbow Rider 249 Poplar Avenue Lowry MN 56349 Raguse Bus Lines Inc. 601 Front Street Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Municipal Airport 6425 Minnesota 27 Wheaton MN 56296
Water Browns Valley Water Plant Browns Valley MN 56219 Wheaton Water Plant Wheaton MN 56296 Wheaton Water Tower Wheaton MN 56296
National Monuments & Icons Browns Valley Carnegie Public Library Broadway Ave & 2nd St Browns Valley MN 56219 Sam Brown Memorial Park 796 W. Broadway Browns Valley MN 56219
Manufacturing SCC Custom Molding LLC 306 2nd Ave North Wheaton MN 56296 Alexandria Industries 710 Highway 755 Wheaton MN 56296 Alexandria Plastics 304 5th Street North Wheaton MN 56296
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Appendix C Traverse County Hazard Events
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The National Climatic Data Center Database was queried for all notable events through November, 2014. However, some categories of events do not have records prior to 1996.
Table C - 1. All severe tornado events recorded by NCDC, 1956 through November 2014 Location or Property Date Type Magnitude Deaths Injuries County Damage Charlesville 10/11/2013 Tornado EF1 0 0 0 Charlesville 6/17/2012 Tornado EF0 0 0 0 Collis 7/30/2011 Tornado EF0 0 0 0 Browns Valley 9/23/2004 Tornado F1 0 0 0 Wheaton 10/26/1996 Tornado F1 0 0 0 Browns Valley 10/6/1994 Tornado F0 0 0 0 Traverse 5/20/1987 Tornado F1 0 0 25K County Traverse 5/10/1982 Tornado F3 0 0 2.5M County Traverse 5/10/1982 Tornado F3 0 0 2.5M County Traverse 9/5/1969 Tornado F1 0 0 2.5K County Traverse 7/18/1956 Tornado F0 0 0 0 County
Highest Value Property 2.5M Damage:
Table C – 2. All severe hail storm events recorded by NCDC, 1955 through November 2014 Hail Size Property Location or County Date Type Deaths Injuries (inches) Damage Wheaton 8/6/2013 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Dumont 8/6/2013 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Dumont 8/6/2013 Hail 1.50 0 0 0 Collis 8/6/2013 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Dumont 8/6/2013 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton Airport 7/12/2012 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton 5/21/2011 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton 5/9/2011 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/3/2009 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/3/2009 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Collis 7/31/2009 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Charlesville 7/10/2008 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Tintah 7/10/2008 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/14/2008 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/14/2008 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Tintah 9/20/2007 Hail 2.00 0 0 0 Charlesville 9/20/2007 Hail 2.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/27/2007 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/27/2007 Hail 0.75 0 0 0
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Hail Size Property Location or County Date Type Deaths Injuries (inches) Damage Collis 6/14/2006 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/5/2006 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/4/2006 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Wheaton 9/5/2005 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Collis 6/29/2005 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/2/2005 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Tintah 8/30/2004 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Tintah 8/29/2004 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Dumont 6/23/2004 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Browns Valley 7/3/2003 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Tintah 7/2/2003 Hail 3.50 0 0 0 Tintah 7/2/2003 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Tintah 6/24/2003 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/22/2003 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Dumont 6/5/2003 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Collis 7/7/2002 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/25/2002 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/25/2002 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/19/2002 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/29/2001 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/29/2001 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/9/1999 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/9/1999 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Tintah 6/21/1999 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Wheaton 5/30/1999 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 5/9/1999 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Browns Valley 5/9/1999 Hail 0.88 0 0 0 Wheaton 7/18/1998 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Tintah 7/18/1998 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Collis 7/14/1998 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/22/1997 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/22/1997 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/19/1997 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Wheaton 7/18/1994 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Traverse County 6/14/1985 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Traverse County 6/22/1984 Hail 1.00 0 0 0 Traverse County 8/31/1982 Hail 1.75 0 0 0 Traverse County 8/31/1982 Hail 0.75 0 0 0 Traverse County 7/29/1955 Hail 2.75 0 0 0
Highest Value 0 Property Damage:
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Table C - 3. All severe thunderstorm wind events recorded by NCDC, 1955 through November 2014 Location or Wind Speed Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County in Knots Damage Browns Valley 7/6/2014 Thunderstorm Wind 85 0 0 0 Wheaton 8/31/2013 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Wheaton Airport 6/20/2013 Thunderstorm Wind 58 0 0 0 Tintah 8/3/2012 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Collis 6/17/2012 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Tintah 7/10/2011 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Dumont 7/10/2011 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/30/2006 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/30/2006 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Browns Valley 8/3/2005 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Dumont 7/23/2005 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Wheaton 7/23/2005 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Collis 6/29/2005 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Wheaton 6/29/2005 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Dumont 6/8/2005 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Wheaton 7/3/2004 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Dumont 6/23/2004 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Wheaton 7/3/2003 Thunderstorm Wind 57 0 0 0 Browns Valley 7/3/2003 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Dumont 8/11/2002 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Tintah 7/31/2002 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Wheaton 7/31/2002 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Collis 7/21/2002 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Browns Valley 7/10/2002 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Browns Valley 6/5/1999 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Browns Valley 8/5/1997 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Browns Valley 7/17/1996 Thunderstorm Wind 52 0 0 0 Dumont 5/17/1996 Thunderstorm Wind 78 0 0 0 Browns Valley 5/23/1994 Thunderstorm Wind NA 0 0 0 Traverse County 6/28/1991 Thunderstorm Wind NA 0 0 0 Traverse County 6/28/1991 Thunderstorm Wind NA 0 0 0 Traverse County 7/30/1986 Thunderstorm Wind NA 0 0 0 Traverse County 5/10/1986 Thunderstorm Wind NA 0 0 0 Traverse County 8/29/1983 Thunderstorm Wind NA 0 0 0 Traverse County 7/19/1983 Thunderstorm Wind 50 0 0 0 Traverse County 8/31/1982 Thunderstorm Wind 61 0 0 0 Traverse County 6/28/1982 Thunderstorm Wind 82 0 0 0 Traverse County 7/29/1955 Thunderstorm Wind NA 0 0 0
Highest Value Property 0 Damage:
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Table C - 4. All extreme flood events recorded by NCDC, 1997 through November 2014 Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 6/22/2011 Flood 0 0 0 Browns Valley 3/14/2007 Flash Flood 0 0 5M Wheaton 6/2/2005 Flash Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/7/2001 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/5/1997 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/1/1997 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/27/1997 Flood 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/27/1997 Flood 0 0 0
Highest Value 5M Property Damage:
Table C - 5. All severe snow events recorded by NCDC, 1996 through November 2014 Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 11/10/2014 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/31/2014 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/13/2014 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/25/2014 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/22/2014 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/16/2014 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/3/2013 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/11/2013 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/18/2013 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/18/2013 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/10/2013 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/9/2012 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/8/2012 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/28/2012 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/22/2011 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/20/2011 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/1/2011 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/23/2010 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/31/2010 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/30/2010 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/15/2010 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/11/2010 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/3/2010 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/7/2010 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/25/2010 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/6/2010 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/23/2009 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/30/2009 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/10/2009 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/26/2009 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/20/2008 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/13/2008 Blizzard 0 0 0
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Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 4/25/2008 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/10/2008 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/6/2008 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/20/2008 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/1/2007 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/2/2007 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/2/2007 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/28/2007 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/24/2007 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/29/2005 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/21/2005 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/25/2004 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 11/22/2003 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 11/26/2001 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/22/2001 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/24/2001 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/7/2001 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/29/2001 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/27/2000 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/16/2000 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 11/11/2000 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/1/1999 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 11/9/1998 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/31/1998 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/5/1997 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/12/1997 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/3/1997 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/3/1997 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/22/1997 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/15/1997 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/9/1997 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/3/1997 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/23/1996 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/16/1996 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 11/29/1996 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 11/19/1996 Winter Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 3/24/1996 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/26/1996 Heavy Snow 0 0 0 Traverse County 2/10/1996 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/29/1996 Blizzard 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/17/1996 Blizzard 0 0 0
Highest Value Property 0 Damage:
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Table C - 6. All severe ice storm events recorded by the NCDC, 1996 through November 2014 Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 3/8/2013 Ice Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 12/20/2006 Ice Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 11/27/2005 Ice Storm 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/10/1996 Ice Storm 0 0 0
Highest Value Property 0 Damage:
Table C - 7. All extreme cold/wind chill events recorded by NCDC, 1996 through November 2014 Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 1/27/2014 Cold/Wind Chill 0 0 0 Extreme Traverse County 1/5/2014 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 12/29/2013 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 12/23/2013 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 12/7/2013 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 1/31/2013 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 1/20/2013 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 1/19/2012 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 2/8/2011 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 2/2/2011 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 1/8/2010 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 1/13/2009 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 12/21/2008 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 12/15/2008 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 2/19/2008 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 2/10/2008 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Traverse County 1/29/2008 0 0 0 Cold/Wind Chill Traverse County 4/3/2007 Cold/Wind Chill 0 0 0 Traverse County 4/6/1997 Cold/Wind Chill 0 0 0
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Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 2/1/1996 Cold/Wind Chill 0 0 0 Traverse County 1/28/1996 Cold/Wind Chill 0 0 0
Highest Value Property 0 Damage:
Table C - 8. All extreme heat events recorded by NCDC, 1996 through November 2014 Location or Property Date Type Deaths Injuries County Damage Traverse County 7/16/2011 Excessive Heat 0 0 0 Traverse County 7/28/2006 Heat 0 0 0
Highest Value Property 0 Damage:
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Appendix D Adopting Resolutions
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Appendix E Planning Team Meetings
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Planning Team Invitation
Greetings,
Traverse County has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to prepare an update of its multi-jurisdictional, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP). In order to remain eligible for federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, FEMA requires that MHMPs are updated every five years as per FEMA requirements. Attached is a fact sheet about the Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan goals, process and timeline.
As a critical part of the planning process, FEMA requires that a Planning Team be developed that includes representation from local government jurisdictions as well as other key stakeholder agencies or organizations that have a roll in hazard mitigation planning and implementation in the County. The role of the Planning Team is to provide input on development of the plan, including prioritization of mitigation strategies and identification of projects for implementation; assist with public outreach and participate in public meetings, review draft plan and facilitate the required final adoption of the MHMP by local government.
You have been identified as a key local government official or stakeholder to participate on the Traverse County MHMP Planning Team. If you cannot participate, please provide an alternate representative to participate on the team. The Planning Team will meet as a group and then you will be contacted individually to provide feedback remotely. Two public meetings will also be held in different parts of Traverse County and Planning Team representation will be requested.
Please mark your calendar for the first Planning Team Meeting on Wednesday, August 13th at the ______from 10:00am – 1:00pm
Thank you for your support to work together towards a stronger and more disaster-resilient Traverse County. Please contact me with any questions.
Respectfully,
Lynn Siegel, Traverse County Emergency Manager
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August 13, 10am-12pm
Planning Team meeting
Agenda
Presentation: Minnesota Hazard Mitigation Planning
Jim McCloskey, HSEM
Presentation: Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
Adam Pine and Stacey Stark, University of Minnesota Duluth
County Overview / MHMP Overview
Hazard ranking
Mitigation Actions
Resilient Community: Browns Valley Diversion dam (?), buried power lines, saferooms (in a campground)
Development of Building Code is eligible for funding
Hospitals are eligible for funding
Public assistance is different from disaster recovery 15%
For acquisition it has to be specific to a hazard (can’t be multiple hazards) erosion is eligible
Increased frequency of the top four on the list of hazards
Only the high voltage lines are buried, because they knock out a lot of households
In county, 7 mi of powerlines buried
It would make sense to move extreme cold up around
Wildfire could be moved lower (grassfires – could extend into a field quickly and result in loss of crop)
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Drought
Extreme cold freezing water lines – should be moved up
Water tower was in danger of freezing 2014
Give a reason why things were deleted, when you get into the risk assessment then the team can rank the hazards using that CPRI spreadsheets.
Dam failure usually isn’t a big deal, same with earthquake
Flooding seems to be a high risk, winter storms, extreme cold…
Droughts lead to grass fires that effect housing property loss.
More and more hail damage has been claimed by different groups
Hail and Drought both can cause a significant loss of property
Drought effects water supply
Lead-based paint as a hazard (consider this hazardous material)
“Capture everything that is relevant to the county” there is also a process to add hazards
Geomagnetic storms?
Need saferoom project for campers, mobile homes?
Safe Rooms bidding starts in September
Schools and county parks may want safe rooms (a mitigation action could be to inventory the places where safe rooms are needed).
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Generator back up: courthouse needs one, Brown Valley school needs one, high school has one, nursing home has a generator, city hall does not have a generator, fire department does not have a generator, water stations has a mobile one, but sewer one does not have a generator.
There are some sirens but RoseBud needs
Sirens are only funded in connection with safe rooms, can also list county park.
Infrastructure retrofit coulee in Brownsville needs to re-looked at (Toelee Coulee, historically the unnamed Coulee) city will be in floodplain without change. Might be funding program available. On Traverse County Road Two. Built in the 1950s, failed at least once in the mid 1960s.
[Adam: we need to reference plans – how do we reach out to people]
Well Head Protection Plan
Flood Mitigation Plan
Minnesota River Valley Watershed Plan
DNR
Corps of Engineers
Places where water is pooling but not moving… this is maintenance so it isn’t eligible, but if there was a flash flood and FEMA sees places where things aren’t being maintained then FEMA won’t fund things. So there is a double-bind tussle. The best thing is to have it as a mitigation action.
In Traverse county there is a yearly inspection of ditches, but they are privately owned so there isn’t a lot of incentive / ability to keep those fixed up. Conveyance of water to reduce flood damage may create flooding elsewhere – is complex. Beyond the financial capability of FEMA programs but other funding sources might be available. The actions listed in the plans are not promises, they are methods to reduce the impact and there is a funding source available to address these issues.
Code Red system is set up for notifications on phone.
Safe Houses
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Siren Warning System
Plows to get ambulances through for an emergency transfer… county has sufficient equipment to get through
City shut down from ice storm in 2005, electric wires got buried after that
City doesn’t have acceptable equipment to use the airport… this is an issue there needs to be an emergency transport... Especially in high wind situations.
If the dam fails it becomes Fargo’s problem, needs to be a plan in place for if they fail. It might also be to map out the dams outside of the county and coming up with a plan for those if they are to fail.
Medium hazard dam at Tintah outside of county
Jim says that failures are usually small earthen dam, ring dikes for example.
If the ring dike fails in Newmont – might be a concern. Protection levees?
Browns valley community awareness of dam upstream? In case something can go wrong with that…
Warming houses in cold snaps (along with power outages) people come to the school (Brown’s Valley)
Frozen pipes
Utilities underneath the streets because the streets were heaving (this from Jim)
Water mains breaking
Extreme heat and power outage, no power outage = no heat
School doesn’t have AC
Are there Studies or technology around sand bag systems: bladder bags instead of community filling up sandbags. They need to be disposed of as hazardous waste if they touch water.
How do you get people who have severe dementia to cooling or warming centers… plan for getting those people together or in a space where they will be safe.
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Keep a list of immobile populations.
Warning that goes out if there are a lot of kids outside… NWS Code Red warning go out, but there needs to be a system to respond to it.
Jon Roeschlein, Administrator Bois de Souix Watershed District: 320-563-4185
Talk to Mark Reineke = WSM Engineering for GIS data: 320-335-5050
They have: culvert inventory, flood storage inventory, flood reduction strategy inventory, flood modeling for the whole district, stream gauge
Watershed district has good coverage of stream gages, don’t know about the rest of the county.
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Appendix F Public Meeting Notices and Meeting Notes
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Public Meetings 12_10_2014
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Encourage the completion of the North Ottawa Impoundment Project (mark as complete)
Flood Flow Analysis from the Watershed District.
Red Path Impoundment should be a mitigation action
Invest and install dry hydrants where possible for sources of water for wildfire fighting….
Lynn will contact fire department re: better contact information for the fire department and fire problems.
Backup generators for critical facilities (assessment of where they are and where they are needed)
Nursing home has one, high school has one, hospital has two, city hall and fire department in Wheaton do not have them, and neither does the sewer plant or water plant. Concern voiced about water and sewer plants needing generators. Sewer pump generator is too small for newer system – overflow would default to river. Water plant does have sufficient generator.
One dry hydrant exists at the browns valley public access on lake traverse (according to fire dept this is the only one)
One saferoom in construction on lake traverse at the RV park
May need saferoom under at the Fairgrounds.
Saferoom in smaller communities like Tintah and Dumont (not sure if homes there have basements).
Can't hear warning siren in the high school. Establish code red from City to ensure HS is notified promptly. (HS would like a siren too) Make sure cities and populations are notified. Code Red isn’t widely used in county (based on comments from meeting attendees) needs to be explained, promoted.
Boost cell service to Lake Traverse where there is not reliable service – may not even receive text.
Wood beamed bridges – are there identified ones that need to be updated?
Livestock isn’t major consideration in County (not a lot)
Concern expressed about knowing where vulnerable populations are? Lynn – made a list of persons 55 and older – what about others? How to do this? Contact medical equipment companies? Ask people to provide information to the county if they think they may need assistance if power is out? – notice in papers. Look to see what best practices are in other counties with this issue
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Big Festivals – Traverse County fair is really all.
Police and Hospitals have access to translators.
Nursing home / fairgrounds safehouse.
Second Public Meeting
Browns Valley should rank flooding as high.
A lot of buildings in Brown Valley are in the flood plain…. These are listed in the Flood Mitigation plan.
We need to know where Rolsberg is located (could be boysberg?)
Have already been some repetitive loss actions in Browns Valley, again, more information on these should be listed in the Flood Mitigation Plan.
There is a map of road washouts of infrastructure loss in Traverse County (and killed crops) we can get.
Repetitive losses on the roads (culverts
Folsom township and Ottawa City and Township infrastructure
Browns valley Flood Mitigation plan addresses needs that
Toulee Coullee project needs to be finished
Dumont and Tintah (drainage ditch coming out of Ottawa) have two dykes that are touchy
Whole area is subject to overland flow…. Not really typical riverine or flash flooding
Bottom end of the watershed: everything is draining down into Traverse County: water needs to be flowed out of the county (5 mile creek, 18 mile creek so the existing natural drainage system is overloaded) 3-4 miles from the drainages and all head NW into the Muskeega river…
Natural Drainage needs to be improved
Place is flat so the water doesn't flow… it just pools up.
So switch flooding to the high rank.
Winter Storms
Weather radios aren’t getting reception – this is an additional reason to look into code red.
Storm shelters along lake, in addition to the one being built.
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Nursing home has a generator, but it can’t really handle more people.
Talked to the school board about getting a generator
No shelter in place in Browns County
Ice storms not on winter storm list (2005) rest home generator didn’t start.
Drought is the lowest ranking hazard…. Not since the 1930s has there been a bad drought (1976, 1986).
Is climate change making droughts more likely?
Fertilizer plant and grain elevator are critical facilities in Browns Valley.
Sam Brown’s cabin down by the river.
Upper Minnesota River Valley Watershed district (can also site their plan).
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Appendix G Completed and Deleted Actions from the 2008 Plan
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Mitigation Traverse County Estimated Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Timeframe Jurisdictions Responsibility Type Comments Cost Complete a countywide Done. There was a flood mitigation plan that special need for includes the identification of this in the P, PP, PE, Traverse County $30,000 – Flood flood prone and repetitive High Complete TCEM particularly flood- NR 50,000 loss structures and prone City of identification of flood Browns Valley and mitigation projects. surrounding area. County emergency Ensure an adequate number Traverse County, manger, county highway of sand bags and sand are Browns Valley, department, city street Flood High PP Complete Done. Unknown on hand for flood prone Dumont, Tintah, departments, city structures in the county. and Wheaton emergency managers, county engineer Purchase flood equipment County emergency Have pumps and Traverse County, Flood including pumps and High P, PP Complete manager, city emergency generators Unknown Browns Valley generators. managers purchased. Bois De Sioux $12,000 a Stream flow gauges need to Watershed year for US Geological Survey, be put on the Little (BDSWD) has them annual DNR, county emergency Flood Minnesota River and other High NR, P Complete Traverse County located in key operation. manager. Also: TCEM streams to help identify positions; special Individual works with BDSWD flood situations. need in city of gauge cost Browns Valley. - unknown Upgrade, redesign or replace culverts and bridges for improved drainage and flow to prevent washouts and flooding. - Conduct an inventory of Bois de Sioux and Upper BDSWD is doing an existing culverts and their Traverse County, Minnesota Watersheds, inventory of respective drainage areas. SI, P, NR, Browns Valley, MnDOT, county highway culverts. They also Flood High Complete Unknown - Involve road authorities in PP Dumont, Tintah, department, township have a policy in development of culvert and Wheaton boards, place for culvert sizing criteria. city street departments size criteria. - Redesign bridges that contribute to flooding by improving the flow of water and ice under/ through the bridge. Map the county ditch County ditch inspector, $15,000 – Flood systems, possibly through Med. NR, P Complete Traverse County This is done. BDSWD 25,000 the use of GIS technology. Page | G - 2
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Mitigation Traverse County Estimated Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Timeframe Jurisdictions Responsibility Type Comments Cost Encourage the completion of the North Ottawa Bois de Sioux and Upper $17,000,00 Impoundment Project to Traverse County, Minnesota Watersheds, Flood High P, PP, NR Complete Done. 0 (2003 diminish the threat of Tintah U.S. Army Corps of estimate) flooding in the City of Tintah Engineers and surrounding area. Inventory existing dikes and levees and assess their flood benefits and impacts on other areas and take mitigation measures as needed. - Evaluate flood flow impacts of existing dikes and levees and mitigate as needed. -Assess the effectiveness of existing dikes and levees as emergency flood protection Bois de Sioux and Upper structures and redesign Minnesota Watersheds, existing or construct BDSWD has dike Flood High P, PP. NR Complete Traverse County county water plan Unknown additional dikes and levees layer in their plan coordinator, U.S. Army as appropriate. Corps of Engineers - Encourage farmstead ring dikes for farmsteads that experience flooding. - Private agricultural levee systems should be viewed as temporary and should be designed in a way that would provide both flood protection and flood control by carefully setting levee overtopping elevation requirements.
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Mitigation Traverse County Estimated Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Timeframe Jurisdictions Responsibility Type Comments Cost City and Fire Departments of Browns Valley, Violent Equip all sirens with the Wheaton Tintah City emergency Storms/ capability to turn them on and Dumont, managers/staff/ Extreme both locally and from the High P Complete Traverse County, fire and rescue, county This is complete Unknown Heat & County sheriff’s department Traverse County emergency manager, Cold or dispatch office. Sheriff’s county sheriff or dispatch Office/dispatch center
An assessment of what Wheaton Violent critical facilities have or Hospital, We have Storms/ $2,000 - need generators for backup Traverse Care Critical facility owner, established a list of Extreme High ES Complete $20,000/ power should be done and Center, Browns manager, operator facilities that need Heat & generator funding should be sought for Valley Care generators Cold backup generator power. Center Work with the Minnesota Department of Health to delineate and create a Browns Valley has management plan for *County water plan done this, no other Utility low P Complete SWCD $10,000 groundwater recharge areas coordinator, MDH plans to delineate and wellhead protection any new areas areas (from 2005 county water plan). Fire Dept. from Encourage the purchase of $3,000 - Structure Wheaton, *City fire department gas meters for fire Medium P Complete System in place $5,000/me Fires Dumont, Tintah, chiefs departments. ter Browns Valley Traverse County Review and update as Fire Dept. from *City fire department Structure needed mutual aid Are done and in $1,000 - High ES Complete 2015 Wheaton, chiefs, county emergency Fires agreements and emergency place $2,000 Dumont, Tintah, manager response plans. Browns Valley Encourage fire departments Traverse County to develop or update Fire Departments * Fire department chiefs, Radiolog./ emergency response plans $1,000/pla Hazardous High P Complete from Wheaton, county emergency In place as appropriate for their level n Materials Tintah, Dumont, manager of hazardous materials Browns Valley response capability.
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Mitigation Traverse County Estimated Hazard Mitigation Action Priority Status Timeframe Jurisdictions Responsibility Type Comments Cost Traverse County Ensure availability of proper Public Health, equipment/ supplies to Sanford Wheaton There is a plan in Infectious * HORIZON Public Health, address infectious diseases High P Complete 2015 Medical center place for each Unknown Disease hospital, clinic outbreaks including supplies and Clinic, facility of drugs and medication. Browns Valley Clinic Townships adjacent to dams; Encourage adequate funding populations * U.S. Army Corps of Dam to repair and maintain dams High P, PP, NR Complete downstream of Engineers, DNR, Township Plan in place Unknown Failure and other similar water dams Monson Boards retention structures. West, and Taylor Townships Traverse County, Wheaton, Tintah, County, city and school County emergency Civil Dumont, Browns emergency plans should manager, Distur./ Medium P Complete Valley, Wheaton This is included Unknown include response to civil city staff, school Terrorism Area Schools, and disturbance/terrorism. administration Browns Valley Schools
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Appendix H Mitigation Actions by Jurisdiction
Table H - 1. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Browns Valley ...... 2 Table H - 2. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Dumont ...... 11 Table H - 3. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Tintah ...... 18 Table H - 4. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Wheaton ...... 25
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Table H - 1. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Browns Valley Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Identify, relocate, tear down Traverse County, Project has been City Council or Township board or flood proof all repetitive In Browns Valley, performed in Browns 1 Flood Med. SI, PP 12/2017 with the help of TCEM to Unknown loss structures and critical Progress Dumont, Tintah, Valley stemming complete facilities. and Wheaton from flood. All jurisdictions fall Traverse County, under County board, Encourage continued In Browns Valley, 2 Flood High PE 12/2016 County board, city councils their own city Unknown compliance with the NFIP. Progress Dumont, Tintah, council, or township and Wheaton council. Adopt new flood plain County zoning administrator, When FEMA provides Traverse County, elevations and information new data, Traverse Browns Valley, emergency manager, county 3 Flood once available and inform High P, NRP Deferred 12/2017 boards, city clerks/ County will adopt & $2,000 Dumont, and the public of these new provide notification Tintah administrators, city councils, boundaries. townships to the public. Cities should adopt or Tintah, Dumont, When new plan is City administrators, clerks and 4 Flood update flood plain High P, PE Deferred and Browns drafted will work to $2,000 councils ordinances as needed. Valley get this done. Identify and improve roads and streets that are repeatedly flooded and washed away by modifying Traverse County, County highway department, This is worked on in and raising roads/streets, In Browns Valley, township boards, city street 5 Flood High SI, P, PP each jurisdiction Unknown providing improved drainage Progress Dumont, and departments, county engineer, each year. and stormwater removal, Tintah townships rip- rapping where needed and creating buffers and vegetation strips. County highway department, Traverse County, Develop a plan for preparing city street departments, city Browns Valley, Needs to be 6 Flood and distributing sandbags Med. PE, P New 12/2015 emergency managers, county $3,000 Dumont, Tintah, developed. when needed. emergency manager, county and Wheaton engineer
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Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Establish a plan of action to address flood emergencies by identifying resources Have a list but needs both locally and outside of In Traverse County, County emergency manager, city to be updated and 7 Flood High P 12/2016 $2,000 the county that are needed Progress Browns Valley emergency managers have agreements and establish contracts or drafted up. agreements for this assistance. Educate the public on Have been doing this practices and programs that In Traverse County, County emergency manager, city $2,000 - 8 Flood Med. PE 12/2015 and need to assist in diminishing the Progress Browns Valley emergency managers $3,000 continue. effects of flooding. Conduct an equipment inventory for flood Traverse County, County emergency manager, city Have list, but needs 9 Flood emergencies and determine High P, PP New 12/2016 $1,000 Browns Valley emergency managers to have prices listed. what equipment is needed and how much it will cost. Evacuation plans should be Plans developed; developed, reviewed, need to exercise to Traverse County, County emergency manager, city 11 Flood rehearsed and updated as High PE, ES New 12/2016 see how they work, $5,000 Browns Valley emergency managers needed in areas prone to special need in city of flooding and flash flooding. Browns Valley. Bois de Sioux and Upper Address discrepancies Minnesota Watersheds, South between South Dakota and Dakota Dept. of Environment Minnesota permitting and Natural Resources requirements for flood In Traverse County, Watershed Protection Dept., MN BDSWD is currently 14 Flood structures such as dikes and High P, PP 12/2016 Unknown progress Browns Valley DNR, U.S. Army Corps of updating this info. levees and try to develop Engineers; Roberts County South similar permitting Dakota border townships are requirements and policies White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, between the two states. Easter, Becker, and Lake
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Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota Watersheds, South Dakota Department of Encourage the removal, Environment and Natural relocation, improvement or Resources Watershed alteration of structures, Traverse County, Have not worked on 15 Flood High PE, P, PP New 12/2017 Protection Department, MN Unknown levies, dikes and dams in Browns Valley this as of yet. South Dakota that cause DNR, Corps of Engineers; flooding in Traverse County. Roberts County South Dakota border townships are White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, Easter, Becker, and Lake Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota Watersheds, South Dakota Department of Encourage and complete Environment and Natural flood flow reduction projects Resources Watershed This is an ongoing both within the county and In Traverse County, 16 Flood High P, PP 12/2018 project that BDSWD Unknown in surrounding counties and Progress Browns Valley Protection Department, MN is taking care of. watersheds in both South DNR, Corps of Engineers; Dakota and Minnesota. Roberts County South Dakota border townships are White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, Easter, Becker, and Lake County water plan coordinator and ditch inspector, Bois de Sioux and Upper Minnesota Watersheds, neighboring county Coordinate water flow and water planners and ditch retention projects with In Traverse County, BDSWD is currently 17 Flood High P, PP 12/2017 inspectors, area watershed Unknown neighboring counties and progress Browns Valley working on this. districts, Corps of Engineers; area watersheds. Roberts County South Dakota border townships are White Rock, Harmon, Bryant, Easter, Becker, and Lake Traverse County, Identify and complete flood City emergency managers and City of Browns In Browns Valley, 25 Flood protection and prevention High P, PP 12/2018 city councils, county Valley continues to Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, projects for cities. emergency manager and Wheaton work on this.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage homes and Violent businesses without Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, city Need more basements to designate a In Browns Valley, 40 Extreme Med. P, PE 2019 emergency managers/staff/fire education to the $2,000 safe shelter where people Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and rescue public for this. may go in case of violent and Wheaton Cold storms. Identify structures in the Violent Have 1 safe house county that could be used as Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, being built. Need to safe shelters and make In Browns Valley, 41 Extreme Med. P, PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ get info out to the $2,000 arrangements to use those Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & fire and rescue public to determine facilities should the need and Wheaton Cold additional locations. arise. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Identify locations where safe County emergency manager, Determine if there is Browns Valley, 42 Extreme shelters should be Med. PE New 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ a need for more and $2,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & constructed. fire and rescue where to locate it. and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, 1 safe house is being Build safe structures as In Browns Valley, $30,000/ 43 Extreme Med. PE, P 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ constructed at the needed. Progress Dumont, Tintah, shelter Heat & fire and rescue lake. and Wheaton Cold Inform all residents and Violent visitors of safe shelter Traverse County, Have little info out Storms/ County emergency manager, locations through media In Browns Valley, but need to get more $3,000 - 44 Extreme Med. PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ campaigns, maps, websites, Progress Dumont, Tintah, out to better inform $5,000 Heat & fire and rescue newsletters and other and Wheaton public. Cold sources. Violent Evacuation plans for all Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, hazards should be In Browns Valley, Need to go over and 45 Extreme High P, PE, ES 2016 city emergency managers/staff/ $5,000 developed or reviewed and Progress Dumont, Tintah, update as needed. Heat & fire and rescue updated as needed. and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage all schools, senior Violent housing, multi-family Traverse County, Storms/ Facility owner/manager/ Need to work with housing units, care facilities In Browns Valley, $1,000/ 46 Extreme High P, PE 2020 administrator, county facilities to develop and facilities with vulnerable Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & emergency manager or improve plan. facility or large populations to have and Wheaton Cold a severe storm plan in place. Facility managers or boards, County emergency manager, city Identify and develop Violent emergency managers/ staff/fire evacuation plans and safe Traverse County, Storms/ and rescue departments, Need to get together shelters for public event Browns Valley, 47 Extreme High P, PE, New 2018 Traverse County Sheriff’s with these groups $5,000 areas such as fairgrounds, Dumont, Tintah, Heat & Office/dispatch center, Wheaton and develop a plan. golf courses, athletic fields, and Wheaton Cold Hospital and School, Browns parks or campgrounds. Valley Nursing Home and School, Traverse Care Center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Consider adoption and Browns Valley, 48 Extreme enforcement of the universal Low P New 2020 County board, city councils $20,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & building code. and Wheaton Cold Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Have replaced some, Storms/ fire and rescue, county Replace malfunctioning or P, PP, PE, In Browns Valley, need to check over 50 Extreme High 2018 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown old warning sirens. ES Progress Dumont, Tintah, others and replace as Heat & County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton needed. Cold center Violent City emergency managers/ Traverse County, Need to check into Storms/ Provide backup power staff/fire and rescue, county Browns Valley, how to get generator 51 Extreme sources to all sirens and High P, PP New 2017 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown Dumont, Tintah, supplies to each Heat & warning systems. County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton siren. Cold center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assess which cities need City emergency managers/ Browns Valley, Have not done this 54 Extreme additional sirens and seek High P New 2019 staff/fire and rescue, Unknown Dumont, Tintah, yet. Heat & funding for their purchase. county emergency manager and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Traverse County, City emergency Storms/ Purchase weather radios for Browns Valley, managers/staff/fire, county 57 Extreme Med. ES New 2020 Not done. Unknown storm spotters. Dumont, Tintah, emergency manager, county Heat & and Wheaton sheriff or dispatch Cold Violent Review and update the Traverse County, County emergency manager, Storms/ organizational structure for In Browns Valley, county sheriff’s department, city Needs to be 62 Extreme emergency response in High P 2020 $5,000 progress Dumont, Tintah, police department, Browns reviewed. Heat & order to have optimum and Wheaton Valley Fire, Wheaton Police Cold efficiency. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Seek opportunities for County emergency manager, In Browns Valley, 64 Extreme severe weather and storm High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city This is done yearly. unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & spotter training. police departments, city fire and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Expand severe weather County emergency manager, Info has been given In Browns Valley, 65 Extreme awareness week education High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city out and placed in $5,000 Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and training. police departments, city fire papers. and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Encourage tree trimming or Public Works, Traverse County In Browns Valley, This is continuously 68 Extreme no tree planting near power Med. PE 2020 Highway Dept., Rural Electric Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, done. Heat & lines. Coop, Ottertail Power and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assure adequate equipment Utility providers, city and county Have plans to get In Browns Valley, 70 Extreme is available to repair High P, ES 2020 public works departments, Rural more resources Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & damaged utilities. Electric Coop, Ottertail Power when needed. and Wheaton Cold County emergency manager, Violent Work with emergency Traverse County, utility providers, sheriff’s Storms/ responders to better In Browns Valley, department, city police This is an ongoing 72 Extreme Med. P, ES 2020 $1,000 coordinate emergency plans Progress Dumont, Tintah, departments, city and county process. Heat & with utility providers. and Wheaton public works, Rural Electric Cold Coop, Ottertail Power
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Work with communities to develop operational and Ground/ safety systems where Traverse County, Surface needed and to ensure In Browns Valley, County ISTS inspector, water 77 Water High P 2020 Currently doing this. $25,000 proper maintenance and Progress Dumont, Tintah, plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply operation of systems in and Wheaton Contam. operation (from 2005 county water plan). Replace old wastewater lines Ground/ to help reduce high inflow Traverse County, Some of the pipes Surface and infiltration that causes In Wheaton, City councils, city wastewater have been replaced. 85 Water sewers to backup in Med. P, PP, SI 2020 Unknown Progress Dumont and utilities Still a work in Supply basements and overburdens Browns Valley progress. Contam. wastewater treatment facilities. Work with cities to develop Ground/ an alternative water supply Traverse County, Surface in case the existing water Browns Valley, 86 Water supply becomes Med. NRP New 2020 City utility staff, city councils Unknown Dumont, Tintah, Supply contaminated or the water and Wheaton Contam. infrastructure becomes damaged. Ground/ Surface Flood proof, relocate or Traverse County, Water mitigate water and sewer Browns Valley, 87 Supply infrastructure and facilities Med. P New 2020 City councils, city utility staff Unknown Dumont, and Contam. that are susceptible to Wheaton & flooding. Flooding Traverse County, Establish methods of Browns Valley, County emergency manager, city 114 Drought banking water for Low ES New 2016 Unknown Dumont, Tintah, water staff emergencies. and Wheaton Include water conservation Traverse County, provisions and use Browns Valley, 117 Drought restrictions in times of Low P, PE New 2018 City councils, county board Unknown Dumont, Tintah, drought in county or city and Wheaton ordinances.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Assess the need for new and Traverse County, Structure up-to-date communication In Browns Valley, City fire department chiefs, 121 High P, ES 2018 In progress. Unknown Fires and firefighting equipment progress Dumont, Tintah, dispatch personnel and purchase as needed. and Wheaton Traverse County, Encourage increased training Structure In Browns Valley, Received grant for 122 opportunities for fire High ES, P 2018 City fire department chiefs Unknown Fires progress Dumont, Tintah, education. departments. and Wheaton Traverse County, Structure Construct additional dry Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Need to add more in 123 Med. P New 2019 Unknown Fires hydrants as needed. Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR the county. and Wheaton Educate county residents Traverse County, Structure and critical facilities in the In Browns Valley, $3,000 - 124 High PE 2020 City fire department chiefs This is done yearly. Fires county on fire safety and Progress Dumont, Tintah, $5,000 prevention. and Wheaton County emergency manager, West Central Environmental, Encourage participation in Traverse County, MPCA, fire departments, public Hazardous regional exercises that test In Browns Valley, health agencies, law Taking part in all that $2,000 - 126 Low ES, P, PE 2020 Materials local plans and interaction Progress Dumont, Tintah, enforcement, emergency are available. $3,000 between local agencies. and Wheaton responders, neighboring county emergency managers including South Dakota Train on mass evacuation County emergency manager, Traverse County, and response procedures for sheriff’s department, police, fire Hazardous Browns Valley, Working with Law $2,000 - 127 a radiological/ hazardous Low P, PE New 2019 departments, emergency Materials Dumont, Tintah, Enforcement. $3,000 material incident with local responders, 1St Responders from and Wheaton emergency responders. Browns Valley and Wheaton Conduct emergency Traverse County, Fire departments, county Hazardous response planning and In Browns Valley, Will attend trainings $2,000 - 128 Med. P, PE 2020 emergency manager, pipeline Materials procedures related to Progress Dumont, Tintah, when available. $3,000 officials, Alliance Pipeline pipeline safety and hazards. and Wheaton Encourage training for fire Traverse County, Traverse County Fire Will attend trainings Hazardous departments to increase In Browns Valley, 131 Low ES, P 2019 Departments from Wheaton, when training is Unknown Materials their hazardous materials progress Dumont, Tintah, Tintah, Dumont, Browns Valley available. response levels. and Wheaton
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Browns Valley Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Mitigation Action Type frame Mechanisms for Implementation Assist cities and townships Traverse County, County emergency manager, with hazardous facilities to Hazardous Browns Valley, city clerks/administrators/ Get above info to $3,000 - 133 have hazardous material High P New 2018 Materials Dumont, Tintah, police/fire department, help with this. $5,000 emergency response plans in and Wheaton township boards place. Encourage facilities located within the county that use, store, manufacture or County emergency manager, transport hazardous Traverse County, hazardous and radiological materials to develop Hazardous Browns Valley, material facility owners/ 137 systems and train their High P New 2019 Need to work on this. Unknown Materials Dumont, and operators, Wheaton/Dumont employees so as to be able Wheaton Coop Elevator, Browns Valley to promptly determine and Fertilizer Plant report that a release of hazardous materials has occurred. Evaluate the effectiveness of mosquito control (spraying) Traverse County, in the cities and some parts Infectious Browns Valley, City maintenance staff, city New equipment was 142 of county and purchase Low P New 2018 Unknown Disease Dumont, Tintah, councils purchased in 2014. equipment and develop and Wheaton mosquito spraying plans as needed. Traverse County, Train firefighters to fight In Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Grant was received 145 Wildfires High ES 8/2015 Unknown wildfires. Progress Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards for training. and Wheaton Encourage the implementation of security measures and purchase of Traverse County, County emergency manager, city Schools and security equipment for In Browns Valley, 150 Terrorism Med. P, PP, NRP 12/2019 staff, Wheaton Area Schools, courthouse have Unknown governmental buildings, Progress Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley Schools cameras. schools, infrastructure and and Wheaton critical facilities in the county.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Table H - 2. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Dumont Traverse County Comments on Action City of Dumont Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Identify, relocate, tear down Traverse County, Project has been City Council or Township board or flood proof all repetitive In Browns Valley, performed in Browns 1 Flood Med. SI, PP 12/2017 with the help of TCEM to Unknown loss structures and critical Progress Dumont, Tintah, Valley stemming complete facilities. and Wheaton from flood. All jurisdictions fall Traverse County, under County board, Encourage continued In Browns Valley, 2 Flood High PE 12/2016 County board, city councils their own city Unknown compliance with the NFIP. Progress Dumont, Tintah, council, or township and Wheaton council. Adopt new flood plain County zoning administrator, When FEMA provides Traverse County, elevations and information new data, Traverse Browns Valley, emergency manager, county 3 Flood once available and inform High P, NRP Deferred 12/2017 boards, city clerks/ County will adopt & $2,000 Dumont, and the public of these new provide notification Tintah administrators, city councils, boundaries. townships to the public. Cities should adopt or Tintah, Dumont, When new plan is City administrators, clerks and 4 Flood update flood plain High P, PE Deferred and Browns drafted will work to $2,000 councils ordinances as needed. Valley get this done. Identify and improve roads and streets that are repeatedly flooded and washed away by modifying Traverse County, County highway department, This is worked on in and raising roads/streets, In Browns Valley, township boards, city street 5 Flood High SI, P, PP each jurisdiction Unknown providing improved drainage Progress Dumont, and departments, county engineer, each year. and stormwater removal, Tintah townships rip- rapping where needed and creating buffers and vegetation strips. County highway department, Traverse County, Develop a plan for preparing city street departments, city Browns Valley, Needs to be 6 Flood and distributing sandbags Med. PE, P New 12/2015 emergency managers, county $3,000 Dumont, Tintah, developed. when needed. emergency manager, county and Wheaton engineer Traverse County, Identify and complete flood City emergency managers and City of Browns In Browns Valley, 25 Flood protection and prevention High P, PP 12/2018 city councils, county Valley continues to Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, projects for cities. and Wheaton emergency manager work on this.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Dumont Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage homes and Violent businesses without Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, city Need more basements to designate a In Browns Valley, 40 Extreme Med. P, PE 2019 emergency managers/staff/fire education to the $2,000 safe shelter where people Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and rescue public for this. may go in case of violent and Wheaton Cold storms. Identify structures in the Violent Have 1 safe house county that could be used as Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, being built. Need to safe shelters and make In Browns Valley, 41 Extreme Med. P, PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ get info out to the $2,000 arrangements to use those Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & fire and rescue public to determine facilities should the need and Wheaton Cold additional locations. arise. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Identify locations where safe County emergency manager, Determine if there is Browns Valley, 42 Extreme shelters should be Med. PE New 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ a need for more and $2,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & constructed. fire and rescue where to locate it. and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, 1 safe house is being Build safe structures as In Browns Valley, $30,000/ 43 Extreme Med. PE, P 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ constructed at the needed. Progress Dumont, Tintah, shelter Heat & fire and rescue lake. and Wheaton Cold Inform all residents and Violent visitors of safe shelter Traverse County, Have little info out Storms/ County emergency manager, locations through media In Browns Valley, but need to get more $3,000 - 44 Extreme Med. PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ campaigns, maps, websites, Progress Dumont, Tintah, out to better inform $5,000 Heat & fire and rescue newsletters and other and Wheaton public. Cold sources. Violent Evacuation plans for all Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, hazards should be In Browns Valley, Need to go over and 45 Extreme High P, PE, ES 2016 city emergency managers/staff/ $5,000 developed or reviewed and Progress Dumont, Tintah, update as needed. Heat & fire and rescue updated as needed. and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Dumont Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage all schools, senior Violent housing, multi-family Traverse County, Storms/ Facility owner/manager/ Need to work with housing units, care facilities In Browns Valley, $1,000/ 46 Extreme High P, PE 2020 administrator, county facilities to develop and facilities with vulnerable Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & emergency manager or improve plan. facility or large populations to have and Wheaton Cold a severe storm plan in place. Facility managers or boards, County emergency manager, city Identify and develop Violent emergency managers/ staff/fire evacuation plans and safe Traverse County, Storms/ and rescue departments, Need to get together shelters for public event Browns Valley, 47 Extreme High P, PE, New 2018 Traverse County Sheriff’s with these groups $5,000 areas such as fairgrounds, Dumont, Tintah, Heat & Office/dispatch center, Wheaton and develop a plan. golf courses, athletic fields, and Wheaton Cold Hospital and School, Browns parks or campgrounds. Valley Nursing Home and School, Traverse Care Center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Consider adoption and Browns Valley, 48 Extreme enforcement of the universal Low P New 2020 County board, city councils $20,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & building code. and Wheaton Cold Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Have replaced some, Storms/ fire and rescue, county Replace malfunctioning or P, PP, PE, In Browns Valley, need to check over 50 Extreme High 2018 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown old warning sirens. ES Progress Dumont, Tintah, others and replace as Heat & County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton needed. Cold center Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Need to check into Storms/ Provide backup power fire and rescue, county Browns Valley, how to get generator 51 Extreme sources to all sirens and High P, PP New 2017 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown Dumont, Tintah, supplies to each Heat & warning systems. County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton siren. Cold center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assess which cities need City emergency managers/ Browns Valley, Have not done this 54 Extreme additional sirens and seek High P New 2019 staff/fire and rescue, Unknown Dumont, Tintah, yet. Heat & funding for their purchase. county emergency manager and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Dumont Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Traverse County, City emergency Storms/ Purchase weather radios for Browns Valley, managers/staff/fire, county 57 Extreme Med. ES New 2020 Not done. Unknown storm spotters. Dumont, Tintah, emergency manager, county Heat & and Wheaton sheriff or dispatch Cold Violent Review and update the Traverse County, County emergency manager, Storms/ organizational structure for In Browns Valley, county sheriff’s department, city Needs to be 62 Extreme emergency response in High P 2020 $5,000 progress Dumont, Tintah, police department, Browns reviewed. Heat & order to have optimum and Wheaton Valley Fire, Wheaton Police Cold efficiency. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Seek opportunities for County emergency manager, In Browns Valley, 64 Extreme severe weather and storm High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city This is done yearly. unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & spotter training. police departments, city fire and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Expand severe weather County emergency manager, Info has been given In Browns Valley, 65 Extreme awareness week education High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city out and placed in $5,000 Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and training. police departments, city fire papers. and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Encourage tree trimming or Public Works, Traverse County In Browns Valley, This is continuously 68 Extreme no tree planting near power Med. PE 2020 Highway Dept., Rural Electric Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, done. Heat & lines. Coop, Ottertail Power and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assure adequate equipment Utility providers, city and county Have plans to get In Browns Valley, 70 Extreme is available to repair High P, ES 2020 public works departments, Rural more resources Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & damaged utilities. Electric Coop, Ottertail Power when needed. and Wheaton Cold County emergency manager, Violent Work with emergency Traverse County, utility providers, sheriff’s Storms/ responders to better In Browns Valley, department, city police This is an ongoing 72 Extreme Med. P, ES 2020 $1,000 coordinate emergency plans Progress Dumont, Tintah, departments, city and county process. Heat & with utility providers. and Wheaton public works, Rural Electric Cold Coop, Ottertail Power
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Dumont Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Work with communities to develop operational and Ground/ safety systems where Traverse County, Surface needed and to ensure In Browns Valley, County ISTS inspector, water 77 Water High P 2020 Currently doing this. $25,000 proper maintenance and Progress Dumont, Tintah, plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply operation of systems in and Wheaton Contam. operation (from 2005 county water plan). Ground/ Surface Encourage cities to complete Dumont, Tintah, City clerk/administrator/water Browns Valley is 84 Water High P 2020 $5,000 wellhead protection plans. Wheaton staff/councils done. Supply Contam. Replace old wastewater lines Ground/ to help reduce high inflow Traverse County, Some of the pipes Surface and infiltration that causes In Wheaton, City councils, city wastewater have been replaced. 85 Water sewers to backup in Med. P, PP, SI 2020 Unknown Progress Dumont and utilities Still a work in Supply basements and overburdens Browns Valley progress. Contam. wastewater treatment facilities. Work with cities to develop Ground/ an alternative water supply Traverse County, Surface in case the existing water Browns Valley, 86 Water supply becomes Med. NRP New 2020 City utility staff, city councils Unknown Dumont, Tintah, Supply contaminated or the water and Wheaton Contam. infrastructure becomes damaged. Ground/ Surface Flood proof, relocate or Traverse County, Water mitigate water and sewer Browns Valley, 87 Supply infrastructure and facilities Med. P New 2020 City councils, city utility staff Unknown Dumont, and Contam. that are susceptible to Wheaton & flooding. Flooding Traverse County, Establish methods of Browns Valley, County emergency manager, city 114 Drought banking water for Low ES New 2016 Unknown Dumont, Tintah, water staff emergencies. and Wheaton
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Dumont Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Include water conservation Traverse County, provisions and use Browns Valley, 117 Drought restrictions in times of Low P, PE New 2018 City councils, county board Unknown Dumont, Tintah, drought in county or city and Wheaton ordinances. Assess the need for new and Traverse County, Structure up-to-date communication In Browns Valley, City fire department chiefs, 121 High P, ES 2018 In progress. Unknown Fires and firefighting equipment progress Dumont, Tintah, dispatch personnel and purchase as needed. and Wheaton Traverse County, Encourage increased training Structure In Browns Valley, Received grant for 122 opportunities for fire High ES, P 2018 City fire department chiefs Unknown Fires progress Dumont, Tintah, education. departments. and Wheaton Traverse County, Structure Construct additional dry Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Need to add more in 123 Med. P New 2019 Unknown Fires hydrants as needed. Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR the county. and Wheaton Educate county residents Traverse County, Structure and critical facilities in the In Browns Valley, $3,000 - 124 High PE 2020 City fire department chiefs This is done yearly. Fires county on fire safety and Progress Dumont, Tintah, $5,000 prevention. and Wheaton County emergency manager, West Central Environmental, Encourage participation in Traverse County, MPCA, fire departments, public Hazardous regional exercises that test In Browns Valley, health agencies, law Taking part in all that $2,000 - 126 Low ES, P, PE 2020 Materials local plans and interaction Progress Dumont, Tintah, enforcement, emergency are available. $3,000 between local agencies. and Wheaton responders, neighboring county emergency managers including South Dakota Train on mass evacuation County emergency manager, Traverse County, and response procedures for sheriff’s department, police, fire Hazardous Browns Valley, Working with Law $2,000 - 127 a radiological/ hazardous Low P, PE New 2019 departments, emergency Materials Dumont, Tintah, Enforcement. $3,000 material incident with local responders, 1St Responders from and Wheaton emergency responders. Browns Valley and Wheaton Conduct emergency Traverse County, Fire departments, county Hazardous response planning and In Browns Valley, Will attend trainings $2,000 - 128 Med. P, PE 2020 emergency manager, pipeline Materials procedures related to Progress Dumont, Tintah, when available. $3,000 officials, Alliance Pipeline pipeline safety and hazards. and Wheaton
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Dumont Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage training for fire Traverse County, Traverse County Fire Will attend trainings Hazardous departments to increase In Browns Valley, 131 Low ES, P 2019 Departments from Wheaton, when training is Unknown Materials their hazardous materials progress Dumont, Tintah, Tintah, Dumont, Browns Valley available. response levels. and Wheaton Assist cities and townships Traverse County, County emergency manager, with hazardous facilities to Hazardous Browns Valley, city clerks/administrators/ Get above info to $3,000 - 133 have hazardous material High P New 2018 Materials Dumont, Tintah, police/fire department, help with this. $5,000 emergency response plans in and Wheaton township boards place. Encourage facilities located within the county that use, store, manufacture or County emergency manager, transport hazardous Traverse County, hazardous and radiological materials to develop Hazardous Browns Valley, material facility owners/ 137 systems and train their High P New 2019 Need to work on this. Unknown Materials Dumont, and operators, Wheaton/Dumont employees so as to be able Wheaton Coop Elevator, Browns Valley to promptly determine and Fertilizer Plant report that a release of hazardous materials has occurred. Evaluate the effectiveness of mosquito control (spraying) Traverse County, in the cities and some parts Infectious Browns Valley, City maintenance staff, city New equipment was 142 of county and purchase Low P New 2018 Unknown Disease Dumont, Tintah, councils purchased in 2014. equipment and develop and Wheaton mosquito spraying plans as needed. Traverse County, Train firefighters to fight In Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Grant was received 145 Wildfires High ES 8/2015 Unknown wildfires. Progress Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards for training. and Wheaton Encourage the implementation of security measures and purchase of Traverse County, County emergency manager, city Schools and security equipment for In Browns Valley, 150 Terrorism Med. P, PP, NRP 12/2019 staff, Wheaton Area Schools, courthouse have Unknown governmental buildings, Progress Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley Schools cameras. schools, infrastructure and and Wheaton critical facilities in the county. Page | H - 17
Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Table H - 3. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Tintah Traverse County Comments on Action City of Tintah Mitigation Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Identify, relocate, tear down Traverse County, Project has been City Council or Township board or flood proof all repetitive In Browns Valley, performed in Browns 1 Flood Med. SI, PP 12/2017 with the help of TCEM to Unknown loss structures and critical Progress Dumont, Tintah, Valley stemming complete facilities. and Wheaton from flood. All jurisdictions fall Traverse County, under County board, Encourage continued In Browns Valley, 2 Flood High PE 12/2016 County board, city councils their own city Unknown compliance with the NFIP. Progress Dumont, Tintah, council, or township and Wheaton council. Adopt new flood plain County zoning administrator, When FEMA provides Traverse County, elevations and information new data, Traverse Browns Valley, emergency manager, county 3 Flood once available and inform High P, NRP Deferred 12/2017 boards, city clerks/ County will adopt & $2,000 Dumont, and the public of these new provide notification Tintah administrators, city councils, boundaries. townships to the public. Cities should adopt or Tintah, Dumont, When new plan is City administrators, clerks and 4 Flood update flood plain High P, PE Deferred and Browns drafted will work to $2,000 councils ordinances as needed. Valley get this done. Identify and improve roads and streets that are repeatedly flooded and washed away by modifying Traverse County, County highway department, This is worked on in and raising roads/streets, In Browns Valley, township boards, city street 5 Flood High SI, P, PP each jurisdiction Unknown providing improved drainage Progress Dumont, and departments, county engineer, each year. and stormwater removal, Tintah townships rip- rapping where needed and creating buffers and vegetation strips. County highway department, Traverse County, Develop a plan for preparing city street departments, city Browns Valley, Needs to be 6 Flood and distributing sandbags Med. PE, P New 12/2015 emergency managers, county $3,000 Dumont, Tintah, developed. when needed. emergency manager, county and Wheaton engineer Traverse County, Identify and complete flood City emergency managers and City of Browns In Browns Valley, 25 Flood protection and prevention High P, PP 12/2018 city councils, county Valley continues to Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, projects for cities. and Wheaton emergency manager work on this.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Tintah Mitigation Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage homes and Violent businesses without Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, city Need more basements to designate a In Browns Valley, 40 Extreme Med. P, PE 2019 emergency managers/staff/fire education to the $2,000 safe shelter where people Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and rescue public for this. may go in case of violent and Wheaton Cold storms. Identify structures in the Violent Have 1 safe house county that could be used as Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, being built. Need to safe shelters and make In Browns Valley, 41 Extreme Med. P, PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ get info out to the $2,000 arrangements to use those Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & fire and rescue public to determine facilities should the need and Wheaton Cold additional locations. arise. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Identify locations where safe County emergency manager, Determine if there is Browns Valley, 42 Extreme shelters should be Med. PE New 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ a need for more and $2,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & constructed. fire and rescue where to locate it. and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, 1 safe house is being Build safe structures as In Browns Valley, $30,000/ 43 Extreme Med. PE, P 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ constructed at the needed. Progress Dumont, Tintah, shelter Heat & fire and rescue lake. and Wheaton Cold Inform all residents and Violent visitors of safe shelter Traverse County, Have little info out Storms/ County emergency manager, locations through media In Browns Valley, but need to get more $3,000 - 44 Extreme Med. PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ campaigns, maps, websites, Progress Dumont, Tintah, out to better inform $5,000 Heat & fire and rescue newsletters and other and Wheaton public. Cold sources. Violent Evacuation plans for all Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, hazards should be In Browns Valley, Need to go over and 45 Extreme High P, PE, ES 2016 city emergency managers/staff/ $5,000 developed or reviewed and Progress Dumont, Tintah, update as needed. Heat & fire and rescue updated as needed. and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Tintah Mitigation Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage all schools, senior Violent housing, multi-family Traverse County, Storms/ Facility owner/manager/ Need to work with housing units, care facilities In Browns Valley, $1,000/ 46 Extreme High P, PE 2020 administrator, county facilities to develop and facilities with vulnerable Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & emergency manager or improve plan. facility or large populations to have and Wheaton Cold a severe storm plan in place. Facility managers or boards, County emergency manager, city Identify and develop Violent emergency managers/ staff/fire evacuation plans and safe Traverse County, Storms/ and rescue departments, Need to get together shelters for public event Browns Valley, 47 Extreme High P, PE, New 2018 Traverse County Sheriff’s with these groups $5,000 areas such as fairgrounds, Dumont, Tintah, Heat & Office/dispatch center, Wheaton and develop a plan. golf courses, athletic fields, and Wheaton Cold Hospital and School, Browns parks or campgrounds. Valley Nursing Home and School, Traverse Care Center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Consider adoption and Browns Valley, 48 Extreme enforcement of the universal Low P New 2020 County board, city councils $20,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & building code. and Wheaton Cold Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Have replaced some, Storms/ fire and rescue, county Replace malfunctioning or P, PP, PE, In Browns Valley, need to check over 50 Extreme High 2018 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown old warning sirens. ES Progress Dumont, Tintah, others and replace as Heat & County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton needed. Cold center Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Need to check into Storms/ Provide backup power fire and rescue, county Browns Valley, how to get generator 51 Extreme sources to all sirens and High P, PP New 2017 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown Dumont, Tintah, supplies to each Heat & warning systems. County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton siren. Cold center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assess which cities need City emergency managers/ Browns Valley, Have not done this 54 Extreme additional sirens and seek High P New 2019 staff/fire and rescue, Unknown Dumont, Tintah, yet. Heat & funding for their purchase. county emergency manager and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Tintah Mitigation Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Traverse County, City emergency Storms/ Purchase weather radios for Browns Valley, managers/staff/fire, county 57 Extreme Med. ES New 2020 Not done. Unknown storm spotters. Dumont, Tintah, emergency manager, county Heat & and Wheaton sheriff or dispatch Cold Violent Review and update the Traverse County, County emergency manager, Storms/ organizational structure for In Browns Valley, county sheriff’s department, city Needs to be 62 Extreme emergency response in High P 2020 $5,000 progress Dumont, Tintah, police department, Browns reviewed. Heat & order to have optimum and Wheaton Valley Fire, Wheaton Police Cold efficiency. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Seek opportunities for County emergency manager, In Browns Valley, 64 Extreme severe weather and storm High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city This is done yearly. unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & spotter training. police departments, city fire and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Expand severe weather County emergency manager, Info has been given In Browns Valley, 65 Extreme awareness week education High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city out and placed in $5,000 Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and training. police departments, city fire papers. and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Encourage tree trimming or Public Works, Traverse County In Browns Valley, This is continuously 68 Extreme no tree planting near power Med. PE 2020 Highway Dept., Rural Electric Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, done. Heat & lines. Coop, Ottertail Power and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assure adequate equipment Utility providers, city and county Have plans to get In Browns Valley, 70 Extreme is available to repair High P, ES 2020 public works departments, Rural more resources Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & damaged utilities. Electric Coop, Ottertail Power when needed. and Wheaton Cold County emergency manager, Violent Work with emergency Traverse County, utility providers, sheriff’s Storms/ responders to better In Browns Valley, department, city police This is an ongoing 72 Extreme Med. P, ES 2020 $1,000 coordinate emergency plans Progress Dumont, Tintah, departments, city and county process. Heat & with utility providers. and Wheaton public works, Rural Electric Cold Coop, Ottertail Power
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Tintah Mitigation Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Work with communities to develop operational and Ground/ safety systems where Traverse County, Surface needed and to ensure In Browns Valley, County ISTS inspector, water 77 Water High P 2020 Currently doing this. $25,000 proper maintenance and Progress Dumont, Tintah, plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply operation of systems in and Wheaton Contam. operation (from 2005 county water plan). Ground/ Surface Encourage cities to complete Dumont, Tintah, City clerk/administrator/water Browns Valley is 84 Water High P 2020 $5,000 wellhead protection plans. Wheaton staff/councils done. Supply Contam. Work with cities to develop Ground/ an alternative water supply Traverse County, Surface in case the existing water Browns Valley, 86 Water supply becomes Med. NRP New 2020 City utility staff, city councils Unknown Dumont, Tintah, Supply contaminated or the water and Wheaton Contam. infrastructure becomes damaged. Traverse County, Establish methods of Browns Valley, County emergency manager, city 114 Drought banking water for Low ES New 2016 Unknown Dumont, Tintah, water staff emergencies. and Wheaton Include water conservation Traverse County, provisions and use Browns Valley, 117 Drought restrictions in times of Low P, PE New 2018 City councils, county board Unknown Dumont, Tintah, drought in county or city and Wheaton ordinances. Assess the need for new and Traverse County, Structure up-to-date communication In Browns Valley, City fire department chiefs, 121 High P, ES 2018 In progress. Unknown Fires and firefighting equipment progress Dumont, Tintah, dispatch personnel and purchase as needed. and Wheaton Traverse County, Encourage increased training Structure In Browns Valley, Received grant for 122 opportunities for fire High ES, P 2018 City fire department chiefs Unknown Fires progress Dumont, Tintah, education. departments. and Wheaton
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Tintah Mitigation Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Traverse County, Structure Construct additional dry Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Need to add more in 123 Med. P New 2019 Unknown Fires hydrants as needed. Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR the county. and Wheaton Educate county residents Traverse County, Structure and critical facilities in the In Browns Valley, $3,000 - 124 High PE 2020 City fire department chiefs This is done yearly. Fires county on fire safety and Progress Dumont, Tintah, $5,000 prevention. and Wheaton County emergency manager, West Central Environmental, Encourage participation in Traverse County, MPCA, fire departments, public Hazardous regional exercises that test In Browns Valley, health agencies, law Taking part in all that $2,000 - 126 Low ES, P, PE 2020 Materials local plans and interaction Progress Dumont, Tintah, enforcement, emergency are available. $3,000 between local agencies. and Wheaton responders, neighboring county emergency managers including South Dakota Train on mass evacuation County emergency manager, Traverse County, and response procedures for sheriff’s department, police, fire Hazardous Browns Valley, Working with Law $2,000 - 127 a radiological/ hazardous Low P, PE New 2019 departments, emergency Materials Dumont, Tintah, Enforcement. $3,000 material incident with local responders, 1St Responders from and Wheaton emergency responders. Browns Valley and Wheaton Conduct emergency Traverse County, Fire departments, county Hazardous response planning and In Browns Valley, Will attend trainings $2,000 - 128 Med. P, PE 2020 emergency manager, pipeline Materials procedures related to Progress Dumont, Tintah, when available. $3,000 officials, Alliance Pipeline pipeline safety and hazards. and Wheaton Encourage training for fire Traverse County, Traverse County Fire Will attend trainings Hazardous departments to increase In Browns Valley, 131 Low ES, P 2019 Departments from Wheaton, when training is Unknown Materials their hazardous materials progress Dumont, Tintah, Tintah, Dumont, Browns Valley available. response levels. and Wheaton Assist cities and townships Traverse County, County emergency manager, with hazardous facilities to Hazardous Browns Valley, city clerks/administrators/ Get above info to $3,000 - 133 have hazardous material High P New 2018 Materials Dumont, Tintah, police/fire department, help with this. $5,000 emergency response plans in and Wheaton township boards place.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Tintah Mitigation Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Evaluate the effectiveness of mosquito control (spraying) Traverse County, in the cities and some parts Infectious Browns Valley, City maintenance staff, city New equipment was 142 of county and purchase Low P New 2018 Unknown Disease Dumont, Tintah, councils purchased in 2014. equipment and develop and Wheaton mosquito spraying plans as needed. Traverse County, Train firefighters to fight In Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Grant was received 145 Wildfires High ES 8/2015 Unknown wildfires. Progress Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards for training. and Wheaton Encourage the implementation of security measures and purchase of Traverse County, County emergency manager, city Schools and security equipment for In Browns Valley, 150 Terrorism Med. P, PP, NRP 12/2019 staff, Wheaton Area Schools, courthouse have Unknown governmental buildings, Progress Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley Schools cameras. schools, infrastructure and and Wheaton critical facilities in the county.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Table H - 4. Mitigation Actions Identified for Jurisdictional Implementation in the City of Wheaton Traverse County Comments on Action City of Wheaton Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Identify, relocate, tear down Traverse County, Project has been City Council or Township board or flood proof all repetitive In Browns Valley, performed in Browns 1 Flood Med. SI, PP 12/2017 with the help of TCEM to Unknown loss structures and critical Progress Dumont, Tintah, Valley stemming complete facilities. and Wheaton from flood. All jurisdictions fall Traverse County, under County board, Encourage continued In Browns Valley, 2 Flood High PE 12/2016 County board, city councils their own city Unknown compliance with the NFIP. Progress Dumont, Tintah, council, or township and Wheaton council. County highway department, Traverse County, Develop a plan for preparing city street departments, city Browns Valley, Needs to be 6 Flood and distributing sandbags Med. PE, P New 12/2015 emergency managers, county $3,000 Dumont, Tintah, developed. when needed. emergency manager, county and Wheaton engineer Traverse County, Identify and complete flood City emergency managers and City of Browns In Browns Valley, 25 Flood protection and prevention High P, PP 12/2018 city councils, county emergency Valley continues to Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, projects for cities. manager and Wheaton work on this. Encourage homes and Violent businesses without Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, city Need more basements to designate a In Browns Valley, 40 Extreme Med. P, PE 2019 emergency managers/staff/fire education to the $2,000 safe shelter where people Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and rescue public for this. may go in case of violent and Wheaton Cold storms. Identify structures in the Violent Have 1 safe house county that could be used as Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, being built. Need to safe shelters and make In Browns Valley, 41 Extreme Med. P, PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ get info out to the $2,000 arrangements to use those Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & fire and rescue public to determine facilities should the need and Wheaton Cold additional locations. arise. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Identify locations where safe County emergency manager, Determine if there is Browns Valley, 42 Extreme shelters should be Med. PE New 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ a need for more and $2,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & constructed. fire and rescue where to locate it. and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Wheaton Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, 1 safe house is being Build safe structures as In Browns Valley, $30,000/ 43 Extreme Med. PE, P 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ constructed at the needed. Progress Dumont, Tintah, shelter Heat & fire and rescue lake. and Wheaton Cold Inform all residents and Violent visitors of safe shelter Traverse County, Have little info out Storms/ County emergency manager, locations through media In Browns Valley, but need to get more $3,000 - 44 Extreme Med. PE 2020 city emergency managers/staff/ campaigns, maps, websites, Progress Dumont, Tintah, out to better inform $5,000 Heat & fire and rescue newsletters and other and Wheaton public. Cold sources. Violent Evacuation plans for all Traverse County, Storms/ County emergency manager, hazards should be In Browns Valley, Need to go over and 45 Extreme High P, PE, ES 2016 city emergency managers/staff/ $5,000 developed or reviewed and Progress Dumont, Tintah, update as needed. Heat & fire and rescue updated as needed. and Wheaton Cold Encourage all schools, senior Violent housing, multi-family Traverse County, Storms/ Facility owner/manager/ Need to work with housing units, care facilities In Browns Valley, $1,000/ 46 Extreme High P, PE 2020 administrator, county facilities to develop and facilities with vulnerable Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & emergency manager or improve plan. facility or large populations to have and Wheaton Cold a severe storm plan in place. Facility managers or boards, County emergency manager, city Identify and develop Violent emergency managers/ staff/fire evacuation plans and safe Traverse County, Storms/ and rescue departments, Need to get together shelters for public event Browns Valley, 47 Extreme High P, PE, New 2018 Traverse County Sheriff’s with these groups $5,000 areas such as fairgrounds, Dumont, Tintah, Heat & Office/dispatch center, Wheaton and develop a plan. golf courses, athletic fields, and Wheaton Cold Hospital and School, Browns parks or campgrounds. Valley Nursing Home and School, Traverse Care Center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Consider adoption and Browns Valley, 48 Extreme enforcement of the universal Low P New 2020 County board, city councils $20,000 Dumont, Tintah, Heat & building code. and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Wheaton Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Have replaced some, Storms/ fire and rescue, county Replace malfunctioning or P, PP, PE, In Browns Valley, need to check over 50 Extreme High 2018 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown old warning sirens. ES Progress Dumont, Tintah, others and replace as Heat & County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton needed. Cold center Violent City emergency managers/staff/ Traverse County, Need to check into Storms/ Provide backup power fire and rescue, county Browns Valley, how to get generator 51 Extreme sources to all sirens and High P, PP New 2017 emergency manager, Traverse Unknown Dumont, Tintah, supplies to each Heat & warning systems. County Sheriff’s Office/dispatch and Wheaton siren. Cold center Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assess which cities need City emergency managers/ Browns Valley, Have not done this 54 Extreme additional sirens and seek High P New 2019 staff/fire and rescue, county Unknown Dumont, Tintah, yet. Heat & funding for their purchase. emergency manager and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, City emergency managers/staff/ Storms/ Purchase weather radios for Browns Valley, fire, county emergency 57 Extreme Med. ES New 2020 Not done. Unknown storm spotters. Dumont, Tintah, manager, county sheriff or Heat & and Wheaton dispatch Cold Violent Review and update the Traverse County, County emergency manager, Storms/ organizational structure for In Browns Valley, county sheriff’s department, city Needs to be 62 Extreme emergency response in High P 2020 $5,000 progress Dumont, Tintah, police department, Browns reviewed. Heat & order to have optimum and Wheaton Valley Fire, Wheaton Police Cold efficiency. Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Seek opportunities for County emergency manager, In Browns Valley, 64 Extreme severe weather and storm High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city This is done yearly. unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & spotter training. police departments, city fire and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Expand severe weather County emergency manager, Info has been given In Browns Valley, 65 Extreme awareness week education High PE 2020 county sheriff’s department, city out and placed in $5,000 Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & and training. police departments, city fire papers. and Wheaton Cold
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Wheaton Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Encourage tree trimming or Public Works, Traverse County In Browns Valley, This is continuously 68 Extreme no tree planting near power Med. PE 2020 Highway Dept., Rural Electric Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, done. Heat & lines. Coop, Ottertail Power and Wheaton Cold Violent Traverse County, Storms/ Assure adequate equipment Utility providers, city and county Have plans to get In Browns Valley, 70 Extreme is available to repair High P, ES 2020 public works departments, Rural more resources Unknown Progress Dumont, Tintah, Heat & damaged utilities. Electric Coop, Ottertail Power when needed. and Wheaton Cold County emergency manager, Violent Work with emergency Traverse County, utility providers, sheriff’s Storms/ responders to better In Browns Valley, department, city police This is an ongoing 72 Extreme Med. P, ES 2020 $1,000 coordinate emergency plans Progress Dumont, Tintah, departments, city and county process. Heat & with utility providers. and Wheaton public works, Rural Electric Cold Coop, Ottertail Power Work with communities to develop operational and Ground/ safety systems where Traverse County, Surface needed and to ensure In Browns Valley, County ISTS inspector, water 77 Water High P 2020 Currently doing this. $25,000 proper maintenance and Progress Dumont, Tintah, plan coordinator, MPCA, SWCD Supply operation of systems in and Wheaton Contam. operation (from 2005 county water plan). Ground/ Surface Encourage cities to complete Dumont, Tintah, City clerk/administrator/water Browns Valley is 84 Water High P 2020 $5,000 wellhead protection plans. Wheaton staff/councils done. Supply Contam. Replace old wastewater lines Ground/ to help reduce high inflow Traverse County, Some of the pipes Surface and infiltration that causes In Wheaton, City councils, city wastewater have been replaced. 85 Water sewers to backup in Med. P, PP, SI 2020 Unknown Progress Dumont and utilities Still a work in Supply basements and overburdens Browns Valley progress. Contam. wastewater treatment facilities.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Wheaton Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Work with cities to develop Ground/ an alternative water supply Traverse County, Surface in case the existing water Browns Valley, 86 Water supply becomes Med. NRP New 2020 City utility staff, city councils Unknown Dumont, Tintah, Supply contaminated or the water and Wheaton Contam. infrastructure becomes damaged. Ground/ Surface Flood proof, relocate or Traverse County, Water mitigate water and sewer Browns Valley, 87 Supply infrastructure and facilities Med. P New 2020 City councils, city utility staff Unknown Dumont, and Contam. that are susceptible to Wheaton & flooding. Flooding Traverse County, Establish methods of Browns Valley, County emergency manager, city 114 Drought banking water for Low ES New 2016 Unknown Dumont, Tintah, water staff emergencies. and Wheaton Include water conservation Traverse County, provisions and use Browns Valley, 117 Drought restrictions in times of Low P, PE New 2018 City councils, county board Unknown Dumont, Tintah, drought in county or city and Wheaton ordinances. Assess the need for new and Traverse County, Structure up-to-date communication In Browns Valley, City fire department chiefs, 121 High P, ES 2018 In progress. Unknown Fires and firefighting equipment progress Dumont, Tintah, dispatch personnel and purchase as needed. and Wheaton Traverse County, Encourage increased training Structure In Browns Valley, Received grant for 122 opportunities for fire High ES, P 2018 City fire department chiefs Unknown Fires progress Dumont, Tintah, education. departments. and Wheaton Traverse County, Structure Construct additional dry Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Need to add more in 123 Med. P New 2019 Unknown Fires hydrants as needed. Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR the county. and Wheaton
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Wheaton Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Educate county residents Traverse County, Structure and critical facilities in the In Browns Valley, $3,000 - 124 High PE 2020 City fire department chiefs This is done yearly. Fires county on fire safety and Progress Dumont, Tintah, $5,000 prevention. and Wheaton County emergency manager, West Central Environmental, Encourage participation in Traverse County, MPCA, fire departments, public Hazardous regional exercises that test In Browns Valley, health agencies, law Taking part in all that $2,000 - 126 Low ES, P, PE 2020 Materials local plans and interaction Progress Dumont, Tintah, enforcement, emergency are available. $3,000 between local agencies. and Wheaton responders, neighboring county emergency managers including South Dakota Train on mass evacuation County emergency manager, Traverse County, and response procedures for sheriff’s department, police, fire Hazardous Browns Valley, Working with Law $2,000 - 127 a radiological/ hazardous Low P, PE New 2019 departments, emergency Materials Dumont, Tintah, Enforcement. $3,000 material incident with local responders, 1St Responders from and Wheaton emergency responders. Browns Valley and Wheaton Conduct emergency Traverse County, Fire departments, county Hazardous response planning and In Browns Valley, Will attend trainings $2,000 - 128 Med. P, PE 2020 emergency manager, pipeline Materials procedures related to Progress Dumont, Tintah, when available. $3,000 officials, Alliance Pipeline pipeline safety and hazards. and Wheaton Assess the need for Traverse County Sheriff Office, Hazardous equipment to address meth Traverse County, Working with Law 129 High P New 2019 Wheaton Police Department, Unknown Materials clean up, and purchase Wheaton Enforcement. West Central Environmental equipment as needed. Traverse County, City of Hazardous Develop or update plans to Traverse County, Working with Law 130 High ES New 2019 Wheaton Police, Traverse $2,000 Materials address meth lab clean up. Wheaton Enforcement. County Sheriff’s Office Encourage training for fire Traverse County, Traverse County Fire Will attend trainings Hazardous departments to increase In Browns Valley, 131 Low ES, P 2019 Departments from Wheaton, when training is Unknown Materials their hazardous materials progress Dumont, Tintah, Tintah, Dumont, Browns Valley available. response levels. and Wheaton Assist cities and townships Traverse County, County emergency manager, with hazardous facilities to Hazardous Browns Valley, city clerks/administrators/ Get above info to $3,000 - 133 have hazardous material High P New 2018 Materials Dumont, Tintah, police/fire department, help with this. $5,000 emergency response plans in and Wheaton township boards place.
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Traverse County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2015
Traverse County Comments on Action City of Wheaton Mitigation Time- Hazard Priority Status Jurisdictions Responsibility Planning Est. Cost Number Type Mitigation Action frame Mechanisms for Implementation Encourage facilities located within the county that use, store, manufacture or County emergency manager, transport hazardous Traverse County, hazardous and radiological materials to develop Hazardous Browns Valley, material facility owners/ 137 systems and train their High P New 2019 Need to work on this. Unknown Materials Dumont, and operators, Wheaton/Dumont employees so as to be able Wheaton Coop Elevator, Browns Valley to promptly determine and Fertilizer Plant report that a release of hazardous materials has occurred. Evaluate the effectiveness of mosquito control (spraying) Traverse County, in the cities and some parts Infectious Browns Valley, City maintenance staff, city New equipment was 142 of county and purchase Low P New 2018 Unknown Disease Dumont, Tintah, councils purchased in 2014. equipment and develop and Wheaton mosquito spraying plans as needed. Traverse County, Train firefighters to fight In Browns Valley, Fire chiefs, U.S. Fish and Grant was received 145 Wildfires High ES 8/2015 Unknown wildfires. Progress Dumont, Tintah, Wildlife, DNR, Township Boards for training. and Wheaton Encourage the implementation of security measures and purchase of Traverse County, County emergency manager, city Schools and security equipment for In Browns Valley, 150 Terrorism Med. P, PP, NRP 12/2019 staff, Wheaton Area Schools, courthouse have Unknown governmental buildings, Progress Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley Schools cameras. schools, infrastructure and and Wheaton critical facilities in the county.
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Appendix I Works Cited
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Kunkel, K., Stevens, L., Stevens, S., Sun, L., Janssen, E., Wuebbles, D., & … Dobson, J. (2013). Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment. NOAA Technical Report NESDIS, 142-3, 95.
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Mueller, B., & Seneviratne, S. (2012). Hot days induced by precipitation deficits at the global scale. Proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences, 12,398-12,403.
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National Climatic Data Center. (n.d.). Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim60/states/Clim_MN_01.pdf
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National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/?n=taw-part4-tornado_stats
NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. (n.d.). Severe Weather 101. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/faq/
Perera, E. M., Sanford, T., White-Newsome, J. L., Kalkstein, L. S., Vanos, J. K., & Weir, K. (2012). Heat in the Heartland. Climate Change and Your Health.
Schoof, J. T. (2012). Scale Issues in the Development of Future Precipitation Scenarios. Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, 8-16.
Seeley, M. (2013). Current status of climate change in Minnesota. Preparing Minnesota for Climate Change: A Conference on Climate Adaptation. St. Paul.
The Weather Channel. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/56296
University of Minnesota. (2000). Land Cover and Impervious Surface Area. Retrieved 2014, from http://land.umn.edu/maps/impervious/landbrowse.php?year_imp=2000&mouseclick.x=81&mo useclick.y=404&ext=147943_4816289_804068_5472414&type=county
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Appendix J Traverse County Plans & Programs in Place
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Planning & Regulatory
Plans/Programs Yes/No Comprehensive/Master Plan No Capital Improvements Plan No Economic Development Plan No Emergency Operations Plan Yes Continuity of Operations Plan No Transportation Plan Yes Stormwater Management Plan Yes Community Wildfire Protection Plan No FireWise Program No Water Conservation/Emergency Preparedness Plan Yes Wellhead Protection Plan Yes Database of dry hydrants/well access Yes Burning permits/restrictions Yes Water Management Plan Yes Zoning ordinance Yes Subdivision ordinance No Floodplain ordinance Yes Natural hazard specific ordinance (stormwater, No steep slope, wildfire) Flood insurance rate maps Yes Acquisition of land for open space and public Yes recreation uses School closing policy/communications plan in event Yes of inclement weather/temperatures Yes, Rosebud RV Storm shelters (list all locations) Park on Lake Traverse Yes, Wheaton, TIntah, Dumont, Warning sires (list all locations) Browns Valley, County Park on Lake Traverse SKYWARN Program Yes CodeRED Mass Notification System Yes Severe Weather Awareness Week Yes Winter Weather Awareness Week Yes NOAA Weather Radios Yes
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Administrative & Technical
Administration Yes/No Planning Commission Yes Mitigation Planning Committee Yes Maintenance programs to reduce risk (e.g., tree Yes trimming, clearing drainage systems) Mutual aid agreements Yes Staff Yes/No Chief Building Official No Floodplain Administrator No Emergency Manager Yes Community Planner No Civil Engineer Yes GIS Coordinator No Technical Yes/No Warning systems/services Yes (Reverse 911, outdoor warning signals) Hazard data and information Yes Hazus analysis No
Education & Outreach
Program/Organization Yes/No Local citizen groups or non-profit organizations focused on environmental protection, emergency Yes preparedness, access and functional needs populations, etc. Ongoing public education or information program (e.g., responsible water use, fire safety, household Yes preparedness, environmental education) Natural disaster or safety related school programs Yes StormReady certification No Firewise Communities certification No Public-private partnership initiatives addressing disaster-related issues
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