Preface: 2011 Revision – Durham County Hazard Mitigation Plan
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Preface: 2011 Revision – Durham County Hazard Mitigation Plan Durham County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) has been updated in response to the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000), and FEMA’s January 2008 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Guidance. This 2011 Plan Update was completed with the assistance of a multiagency planning team consisting of personnel from City and County departments and community partners. The areas of focus for the updated 2011 Plan are: Update the existing Plan to the standards contained within Section 322 of DMA 2000 for a hazard mitigation plan; Expand on the previous hazard identification and risk assessment section of the Plan; Incorporate FEMA’s newest grant programs into the Plan; Inclusion of updated information within all chapters of the Plan; and Reassessment of the goals, objectives, and activities presented in the 2007 Plan. Purpose This Multijurisdictional HMP has been prepared to fulfill the requirements of DMA 2000 and to help minimize the impacts of inland flooding, high winds, hurricanes and other natural hazards that affect the County of Durham and City of Durham. Scope This Multijurisdictional HMP addresses natural hazard risk assessment and mitigation implementation for the County of Durham as a whole, and is structured in accordance with pre-disaster planning requirements as stated in Section 201.4 and 201.4(d) of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) for a standard hazard mitigation plan. Federal Authorities The County of Durham and City of Durham are in compliance with FEMA Regulations - 44 Code of Federal Register (CFR), Part 206, Subpart N (P.L. 100-107, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act dated 1994.), the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, Section 322, and other related Federal authorities including: FEMA regulations - 44 CFR, Part 13, Uniform Administrative Requirements of Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments; FEMA regulations - 44 CFR, Part 14; Executive Order 12612, Federalism; Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands; Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management; and 44 CFR, Part 201.4 (c) (7) § 13.11 (c) and § 13.11 (d). Both jurisdictions will continue to comply with all applicable Federal statutes and regulations during periods for which it receives grant funding, in compliance with 44 CFR 13.11(c), and will amend its plan whenever necessary to reflect changes in the State or Federal laws and statutes as required in 44 CFR 13.11(d). The Planning Process for the 2011 HMP Update The HMP update planning process is a continual process which began once the original 2006 HMP was approved by FEMA. A planning team which consisted of representatives from several County and City agencies directly responsible for hazard mitigation actions and/or activities performed during a natural hazard event was created and began meeting to discuss the updating process and any necessary changes in August 2009. The planning team met on a monthly basis until the plan update was completed. A total of 20 meetings were held by the group over a two year period. 1 Representatives of the following agencies participated on the planning team: Durham City-County Planning Department Durham City-County Inspections Department Durham City Public Works Department Durham County Engineering Department Durham City Water Resources Division Durham City Fire Department Durham City-County GIS Durham County Emergency Management Central North Carolina Chapter – American Red Cross Individual team members provided input on changes and revisions to the existing Plan’s chapters throughout the planning process. A primary focus was to create an updated Plan that would be easier to navigate. Each section was reviewed with that focus in mind. Many of the team members represent agencies that perform duties for both jurisdictions while the remainder work solely within one or the other. Each agency, or department, was able to comment on required updates for the jurisdiction represented. AGENCY PERSON ROLE City-County Mark Schell, Lead Facilitator, Editor-in-Chief Emergency Emergency Mgt Coordinator Management City-County William E. (Gene) Bradham, Provided building inspection process Inspections Department Director of City-County information and floodplain regulation Inspections, Floodplain information Administrator City Public Works Christina Sokol, PE, CFM, Provided information on floodplain Department Civil Engineer, development permitting and regulations. Stormwater Services Division City-County Amy Wolff, Provided information regarding planning Planning Department Senior Planner mechanisms and ordinances City Public Works Thomas Ayers, Provided mitigation project information, Department Operations Administrator jurisdiction process information and regulation information American Red Cross Timothy Bothe, Director – Provided community response (Community Partner) Emergency Services information and regional information regarding response mechanisms County Engineering Glen Whisler, Provided mitigation project information, Department Director/County Engineer jurisdiction process information and regulation information City Water Resources Ted Cope, Safety Manager Provided information regarding Division response mechanisms to disasters, vulnerability assessments and mitigation measures City Fire Department Daniel Cremeans, Provided information regarding Battalion Chief response mechanisms to disasters, vulnerability assessments and mitigation measures City-County GIS Marcus Bryant, GISP Provided GIS analysis and expertise Department GIS Manager 2 Communication activities between planning meetings during the active Plan Update phase included meeting at regularly scheduled times for meetings, telephone, interpersonal, and email communications. The planning team was asked various questions during the planning process for this plan update. Examples of questions the members were asked and provided input for include: What has changed within the County in terms of natural hazards or mitigation of natural hazards? Is the current data provided within the existing plan and utilized to develop the existing plan still viable for planning purposes for this planning period? Are the stated goals and objectives stated in the existing plan still relative to achieving the County’s mission for natural hazard mitigation? What natural hazard mitigation activities could the County and City pursue over the next three to five years to help achieve its natural hazard mitigation goals? Is the data that was gathered during the past three years appropriate? Should different data be gathered or more data gathered in the next five years. What new data exists that can be beneficial to the plan update and can be incorporated into said plan update? What resources are currently available to perform the necessary planning activities required to generate the information needed for the plan update? What resources will be available during the next five years to perform planning activities and data analysis required by the updated plan? How successful was the County in implementing hazard mitigation projects in the past five years? Over the course of the 2-year review process, team members assessed the content of each section of the existing plan for data that was true, current, relevant and necessary for the good of the Plan. Revisions made included replacing national statistics with local statistics, updating charts and maps, revising goals and ensuring that mitigation measures were, in fact, true to both jurisdiction’s missions. Validation of data for the updated plan occurred through analysis of existing plans and procedures which include mitigation measures for each scenario (i.e. Durham City-County Emergency Operations Plan, Durham City-County Severe Weather Policy, Durham Winter Weather Plan, Durham Drought Management Plan). Additional data was verified through the inclusion of hazard vulnerability assessments completed annually for critical infrastructure sites throughout the County and related critical infrastructure site emergency contingency plans. Mission and Goals The original Hazard Mitigation Plan developed in 2007 was for the jurisdictions of Durham County and the City of Durham. Both jurisdictions participated in the original Plan and in this revision and no other jurisdictions were added or dropped out of the plan update process. In order to comprehensively update the multijurisdictional HMP, the mission statements of the County and City were reviewed so that the HMP would align with those respective statements. Durham County Mission Statement: Durham County provides fiscally responsible, quality services necessary to promote a healthy, safe and vibrant community. City of Durham Mission Statement: To provide quality services to make Durham a great place to live, work and play. City Goals: 1. Strong and Diverse Economy 2. Safe and Secure Community 3 3. Thriving Livable Neighborhoods 4. Well Managed City 5. Stewardship of City’s Physical Assets This plan update has provided the County and City of Durham with an opportunity to build more effective interagency communication between its many agencies that affect hazard mitigation planning, and to identify enhancements in current hazard mitigation planning that will help move the County and City forward in hazard mitigation planning. The County and City of Durham are committed to reducing future damage from natural disasters through mitigation. The mission of our Hazard Mitigation