This Working Draft Submittal is a preliminary draft document and is not to be used as the basis for final design, construction or remedial action, or as a basis for major capital decisions. Please be advised that this document and associated deliverables have not undergone internal reviews by URS. SECTION 3a - RISK ASSESSMENT: HAZARD PROFILES SECTION 3a- RISK ASSESSMENT: HAZARD PROFILES Overview Detailed profiles of hazards identified in the previous section as worthy of further evaluation in the overall risk assessment are provided in this section. Each hazard profile includes a description of the hazard and its causes and impacts, the location and extent of areas subject to the hazard, known historical occurrences, and the probability of future occurrences. The profiles also include specific information noted by members of the planning committee and other stakeholders, including unique observations or relevant anecdotal information regarding individual historical hazard occurrences and individual jurisdictions. The following table summarizes each hazard, and whether or not it has been identified as a hazard worthy of further evaluation for each of the 22 municipal jurisdictions in the County. Following Table 3a.1, Figure 3a.1 presents a map of Rensselaer County for reference, including the most significant transport links and the location and boundaries of each participating jurisdiction. Table 3a.1 Summary of Profiled Hazards by Municipality 1 4 5 3 2 Jurisdiction Flood Extreme Extreme Drought Jam Ice Tornado Wildfire Lightning Landslide Earthquake Dam Failure Temperatures Temperatures Storm Winter Extreme Wind Extreme and Hurricane Tropical Storm Tropical Rensselaer, County of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Berlin, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Brunswick, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Castleton-on-Hudson, ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Village of East Greenbush, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ East Nassau, Village of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Grafton, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Hoosick, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Hoosick Falls, Village of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Nassau, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Nassau, Village of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ North Greenbush, Town ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Petersburgh, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Pittstown, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Poestenkill, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Rensselaer, City of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Sand Lake, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Schaghticoke, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Schaghticoke, Village of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Schodack, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Stephentown, Town of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Troy, City of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Valley Falls, Village of ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan – Rensselaer County, New York 3a-1 Draft Plan - January 2011 This Working Draft Submittal is a preliminary draft document and is not to be used as the basis for final design, construction or remedial action, or as a basis for major capital decisions. Please be advised that this document and associated deliverables have not undergone internal reviews by URS. SECTION 3a - RISK ASSESSMENT: HAZARD PROFILES Notes to accompany Table 3a.1: 1. Based on the identification of improved property in dam failure inundation areas on current EAP maps, or the presence of a high hazard dam (NYSDEC classification) either in the municipality or close upstream on a watercourse flowing through that municipality 2. Based on identification of improved property in mapped flood hazard zones (FEMA Q3 data) 3. Based on historical records, Flood Insurance Studies, and local information 4. Based on identification of improved property in mapped high incidence or high susceptibility landslide risk zones, plus those municipalities in which details of individual landslide events are available. 5. Based on identification of improved property in mapped wildfire hazard zones Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan – Rensselaer County, New York 3a-2 Draft Plan - January 2011 This Working Draft Submittal is a preliminary draft document and is not to be used as the basis for final design, construction or remedial action, or as a basis for major capital decisions. Please be advised that this document and associated deliverables have not undergone internal reviews by URS. SECTION 3a - RISK ASSESSMENT: HAZARD PROFILES Figure 3a.1: Rensselaer County Base Map Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan – Rensselaer County, New York 3a-3 Draft Plan - January 2011 This Working Draft Submittal is a preliminary draft document and is not to be used as the basis for final design, construction or remedial action, or as a basis for major capital decisions. Please be advised that this document and associated deliverables have not undergone internal reviews by URS. SECTION 3a - RISK ASSESSMENT: HAZARD PROFILES Extreme Temperatures Extreme temperatures principally affect the health and safety of the human population, although they can also impact livestock, agricultural crops, and may also cause damage to infrastructure and property. This section provides detailed profiles of both extreme high and extreme low temperatures. Description – Extreme Temperatures Extreme Cold According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS), the term “extreme cold” constitutes different conditions in different parts of the country, ranging from near freezing in the South to temperatures well below zero in the North. In the South, temperatures near or just below freezing can cause pipes to burst in homes that are poorly insulated or without heat. In the North, where most buildings are insulated to a degree that can protect against most common winter temperatures for the area, long spells of below zero temperatures can result in increased numbers of people using space heaters and fireplaces to stay warm, thus increasing the risk of household fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. In addition, extreme cold can cause rivers to freeze, and ice jams to form, leading to flooding. Regardless of location, freezing temperatures can cause severe damage to crops and other vegetation; increased strain on community shelter facilities providing refuge from the cold to homeless populations and others in need; and an increased likelihood that automobiles/buses will fail to start. Local sources also report that fire departments are called to a noticeably higher number of chimney fires during periods of extreme cold. Extreme cold can have severe negative impacts on human beings, including frostbite (an injury to the body that is caused by freezing) and hypothermia (the unintentional lowering of the body’s core temperature to below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which typically causes uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion). The NWS reports that extreme cold causes the death of roughly 26 people per year nationwide (based on a 10-year average). High winds during a period of extreme cold can exacerbate these affects, as the winds work to carry heat away from the body. According to the New York State Climate Office, extreme cold events in New York State occur regularly, and are most common between October and March. They are most likely to occur in the northern and western portions of the state, and occur less often as one travels south toward New York City and Long Island. The record coldest temperature in New York State is -52° at Stillwater Reservoir (northern Herkimer County) on February 9, 1934 and also at Old Forge (also northern Herkimer County) on February 18, 1979. Some 30 communities have recorded temperatures of -40° or colder, most of them occurring in the northern one-half of the state and the remainder in the Western Plateau Division and in localities just south of the Mohawk Valley. Extreme Heat FEMA defines the term “extreme heat” as the condition whereby temperatures hover ten degrees or more above the average high temperature for a region, and last for several weeks. Extreme heat can also contribute to increased demand on energy supplies resulting from increased air conditioning usage, and an associated increased potential for power shortages or outages; an increased demand on medical offices, hospitals, etc. as individuals suffering from various heat related health effects seek medical attention or shelter in air conditioned facilities; and also crop losses under certain circumstances. Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan – Rensselaer County, New York 3a-4 Draft Plan - January 2011 This Working Draft Submittal is a preliminary draft document and is not to be used as the basis for final design, construction or remedial action, or as a basis for major capital decisions. Please be advised that this document and associated deliverables have not undergone internal reviews by URS. SECTION 3a - RISK ASSESSMENT: HAZARD PROFILES Some Core Planning Group members expressed concerns about the potential effects of power outages triggered by extreme temperature events, noting the vulnerability of critical facilities such as senior living centers, sewage treatment plants, and water treatment facilities (including public water supply well sites and pump stations). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) has reported that heat waves occur during most summers in at least some part(s) of North America. East of the Rocky Mountains, high temperatures are often combined with high humidity. Highest temperatures of record and average relative humidity would