Connecticut's Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
. ` STATE OF CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127 AMEY MARRELLA, COMMISSIONER Photographed by DEP staff, September 19, 1999, Jenson’s Trailer Park, Still River, Danbury CT. CONNECTICUT’S 2010 NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE Prepared by: Department of Environmental Protection Inland Water Resources Division Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse With Assistance From: The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security December 2010 Connecticut’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Years 2010-2013 Americans with Disabilities Act Notice: The Department of Environmental Protection is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and service provider. In conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, DEP makes every effort to provide equally effective services for persons with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities who need this information in an alternative format, to allow them to benefit and/or participate in the agency’s programs and services, should call 860-424-3051 or 860-418-5937 or e-mail Marcia Bonitto, ADA Coordinator, at [email protected]. Persons who are hearing impaired should call the State of Connecticut relay number 711. ~ ii ~ Connecticut’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Years 2010-2013 Participants and Contributors Amey Marrella, Commissioner CT Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP) Peter J. Boynton, Commissioner CT Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Betsey Wingfield, Bureau Chief CTDEP Water Protection and Land Reuse (WPLR) Denise Ruzicka, Director CTDEP Inland Water Resources Division (IWRD) Steve Tessitore, CTDEP IWRD Karen Michaels, CTDEP IWRD Art Christian, CTDEP IWRD Diane Ifkovic, CTDEP IWRD Carla Feroni, CTDEP IWRD Kevin O’Brien, CTDEP OLISP Jennifer Pagach, CTDEP Office of Long Island Sound (OLISP) Emily Pysh, CTDEP IWRD Douglas Glowacki, CT Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Alphonse Letendre, (DEMHS) Margaret Thomas, CTDEP State Geologist Elizabeth Napier, CTDEP IWRD Ann Kuzyk, CTDEP IWRD Lisa Humble, State Building Inspector, CT Inter-Agency Hazard Mitigation Committee Rudolph Kamm, CT Department of Transportation, CT Inter-Agency Hazard Mitigation Committee Bruce Wittchen, CT Office of Policy and Management Paul Stacey, CTDEP Office of the Bureau Chief, Division Director of Planning and Standards Roslyn Reeps, CTDEP, Office of Planning and Program Development Ralph Scarpino, CTDEP Forestry Division Chris Martin, Connecticut State Forester Ahmadali Alex Tabatabai, Environmental Analyst, Drinking Water Section, CT Department of Public Health Arde Ramthun, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service Nicole Belk, National Weather Service ~ iii ~ Connecticut’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Years 2010-2013 Abbreviations Used In This Plan Acronym Definition ALERT Connecticut Automated Flood Warning System BFE Base Flood Elevation BOCA Building Officials and Code Administration C.G.S. Connecticut General Statute CAP Community Assistance Program CAV Community Assistance Visit CCMA Connecticut Coastal Management Act CEO Council of Elected Officials CFMA Connecticut Floodplain Management Act CFR Code of Federal Register CIHMC Connecticut Interagency Hazard Mitigation Committee CMI Crop Moisture Index COG Council of Governments CRREL U.S. Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory CRVFCC Connecticut River Valley Flood Control Compact CT PHERP Connecticut Public Health Emergency Response Plan DEMHS Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security DEP Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection DMA 2000 Disaster Mitigation Act DOE Connecticut Department of Education DHCD Connecticut Department of Housing and Community Development DOT Connecticut Department of Transportation DPH Connecticut Department of Public Health EAS Emergency Alert System EOC State Emergency Operations Center EWP Emergency Watershed Protection FECB Flood and Erosion Control Board FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FIRM Flood Insurance Rate Map FMA Flood Mitigation Assistance FMP Flood Management Program FPMS Floodplain Management Studies GIS Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System HMGP Hazard Mitigation Grant Program HMGRC Hazard Mitigation Grant Review Committee IA Individual Assistance IBC 2003 International Building Code IPCC United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IRC 2003 International Residential Code IWRD Inland Water Resources Division LISICOS Long Island Sound Integrated Coastal Observing System MACOORA Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association MHFMMM Multi-Hazard Flood Map Modernization Management Program MIP Management Information Portal MOU Memorandum of Understanding ~ iv ~ Connecticut’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Years 2010-2013 NAWAS National Warning System NECIA Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment group NFIA National Flood Insurance Act NFIP National Flood Insurance Program NFIRS National Fire Incident Reporting System NGVD National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 NHMP Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan NOAA National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration NRCS National Resources Conservation Service NU Northeast Utilities NWRAH NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards OCP Office of Civil Preparedness OEM Office of Emergency Management, now CTDEMHS OIM Connecticut DEP's Office of Information Management OLISP Office of Long Island Sound Program OPM Connecticut Office of Policy and Management OSBI Connecticut Office of the State Building Inspector PA Public Assistance PDM Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program PDSI Palmer Drought Severity Index RFC Repetitive Flood Claims Grant Program RPA Regional Planning Agencies RPO Regional Planning Organization SBA Small Business Administration SCEL Stream Channel Encroachment Line SHMO State Hazard Mitigation Officer SHSGP State Homeland Security Grant Program SLR Sea level rise SLOSH Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes TRVFCC Thames River Valley Flood Control Compact USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USDHS U.S. Department of Homeland Security USGS U.S. Geological Survey WUI Wildland/Urban Interface ~ v ~ Connecticut’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Years 2010-2013 Preface Connecticut's standard Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) has been updated in response to the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000), and FEMA’s January 2008 version of the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Guidance. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) prepared the 2010 Plan Update with assistance by planning team members from the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS), Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Public Health, and Office of Policy and Management. An external review group, consisting of members from the Connecticut Interagency Hazard Mitigation Committee (CIHMC), reviewed the Plan and provided input. Funding for this Plan was provided through FEMA’s FFY 2009 and 2010 Community Assistance Program (CAP-SSSE) Cooperative Agreement. The areas of focus for the updated 2010 Plan include: The update of data and information in each chapter of the plan, to provide the most up- to-date information available regarding natural hazard mitigation in the State of Connecticut; The inclusion of FEMA’s newest grant programs into the Plan; The presentation of information, especially in Chapter 2 – Hazards and Risk Assessment, in a more easy-to-read and cohesive manner; including a discussion of impacts due to climate change with regards to natural hazard mitigation under all applicable natural hazards presented; and The reassessment of the goals, objectives, strategies and activities as presented in the 2007 Plan. The main premise of natural hazard mitigation is the prevention of loss of life, the reduction of damages associated with natural disasters, and the restoration of public services after each disaster. As a means to achieving effective hazard mitigation, states and local communities need to use the planning process and develop effective plans. Connecticut's efforts in updating its 2010 NHMP include: An assessment of all natural hazards that affect Connecticut including the frequencies, magnitudes, and distribution of these hazards; A risk assessment of Connecticut's vulnerability to natural hazards as addressed through potential loss of life and surveys of critical facilities in areas subject to these hazards; The integration of climate impact as it relates to the assessment and analysis of specific natural hazards that could potentially affect the State; An outline of Connecticut's governmental organization before, during, and after a natural disaster. The outline presents the roles of each major state agency or DEP division in planning and responding to these hazards; and An expanded Appendix section to provide readers with additional resources regarding natural hazards that may impact the State. This plan update has provided Connecticut 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 State ~ vi ~ Connecticut’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Years 2010-2013 forward in hazard mitigation planning. In addition, this update provides an opportunity to explore climate impact and its relation to natural hazard mitigation planning as a whole.