County Council of Howard County, Maryland
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County Council Of Howard County, Maryland 2011 Legislative Session Legislative Day No. 8 . Resolution No. 120 -2011 Introduced by: The Chairperson at the request of the County Executive A RESOLUTION adopting the Howard County Flood Mitigation Plan. Introduced and read first time , 2011. By order Stephen LeGendre, Administrator Read for a second time at a public hearing on , 2011. By order Stephen LeGendre, Administrator This Resolution was read the third time and was Adopted , Adopted with amendments , Failed , Withdrawn , by the County Council on , 2011. Certified By Stephen LeGendre, Administrator Approved by the County Executive , 2011 Ken Ulman, County Executive NOTE: [[text in brackets]] indicates deletions from existing law; TEXT IN ALL CAPITALS indicates additions to existing law; Strike-out indicates material deleted by amendment; Underlining indicates material added by amendment 1 WHEREAS, the County Council of Howard County, Maryland recognizes that floods 2 are a common occurrence throughout the region and can cause significant property damage and 3 loss of life; and 4 5 WHEREAS, the County is committed to the mitigation of flood related hazards, the 6 protection of the public health, and the reduction of property damage and loss of life that can 7 result from flood events; and 8 9 WHEREAS, over the years, communities have taken proactive measures to reduce the 10 impact of flooding and the damage caused by flooding to residents and structures; and 11 12 WHEREAS, in March of 2008, the Howard County Office of Emergency Management 13 received funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) through the 14 Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant program for the development of a Flood Mitigation Plan (the 15 “Plan”) for the County; and 16 17 WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works , in conjunction with the Hazard 18 Mitigation Steering Committee, has developed the Plan consistent with the federally prescribed 19 planning process for the development of the Plan; and 20 21 WHEREAS, federal law requires that the Plan articulate a comprehensive strategy for 22 implementing technically feasible flood mitigation activities for the area affected by the Plan; 23 and 24 25 WHEREAS, the purpose of the Plan is to address flood hazards that threaten the health 26 and welfare of the County’s residents and property and to develop actions to mitigate the effects 27 of flooding; and 28 29 WHEREAS, adoption of the Plan will make the County eligible for future grants to 30 implement the recommendations of the Plan, if and when funds become available; and 1 1 WHEREAS, the County Executive has reviewed the Plan and recommends its adoption 2 by the County Council. 3 4 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the County Council of Howard County, 5 Maryland this ____ day of _________________, 2011 that the effort to become more disaster 6 resistant is deemed worthy of support, and that the Howard County Flood Mitigation Plan 7 prepared by the Howard County Department of Public Works, attached hereto and incorporated 8 by reference, is hereby adopted. 9 2 Howard County, Maryland Flood Mitigation Plan Prepared for: Howard County Department of Public Works – September 2010 by: Flood Mitigation Plan Howard County, Maryland Prepared for: Howard County Department of Public Works Bureau of Environmental Services 6751 Gateway Drive, Suite 514 Columbia, Maryland 21046 Acknowledgments This Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan was prepared under the guidance of the County’s Department of Public Works and the Flood Mitigation Plan Steering Committee. The members of the Steering Committee are listed in Chapter 1. This Plan was funded by a Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant from FEMA and administered through the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). The Plan was prepared by: Vision Planning and Consulting, LLC Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative 8575 Window Latch Way Salisbury University Columbia, MD 21045 1101 Camden Ave Contact: Deepa Srinivasan, AICP, CFM Salisbury, Maryland 21801 Phone: 240 893 8719 Contact: Dr. Michael Scott Fax: 480 393 5396 Ph: 410.543.6456 Email: [email protected] Fax: 410.548.4506 [email protected] September 6, 2010 [1] TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................2 LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................ 3 LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................6 Background .............................................................................................................................6 Study Area ...............................................................................................................................6 Flooding History ......................................................................................................................7 Plan Objectives .....................................................................................................................13 Planning Approach ...............................................................................................................13 Flood Mitigation Plan Participants .....................................................................................14 Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee .............................................................................14 Planning Process .................................................................................................................15 Organization of the Report ..................................................................................................17 CHAPTER 2: PROBLEM DESCRIPTION .................................................................. 18 Sources of Flooding .............................................................................................................18 Vulnerability Assessment ....................................................................................................23 Repetitive Loss Properties ..................................................................................................31 Economic Impact ..................................................................................................................31 Future Trends .......................................................................................................................33 Conclusions ...........................................................................................................................33 CHAPTER 3: PREVENTATIVE MEASURES ............................................................. 35 Introduction ............................................................................................................................35 County and State Plans ......................................................................................................35 Zoning Ordinance .................................................................................................................37 Subdivision Regulations ......................................................................................................38 Building Codes ......................................................................................................................38 Floodplain Development Regulations ...............................................................................39 Storm Water Management ..................................................................................................43 Open Space Preservation ...................................................................................................45 Capital Improvements Program .........................................................................................45 County’s Staffing and Training Capabilities .....................................................................45 Howard County Government Structure ............................................................................46 CHAPTER 4: PROPERTY PROTECTION .................................................................. 49 Introduction ............................................................................................................................49 Building Relocation ..............................................................................................................49 Acquisition .............................................................................................................................49 Building Elevation .................................................................................................................50 Barriers...................................................................................................................................50 Dry and Wet Flood-proofing ...............................................................................................50 Sewer Backup Protection ....................................................................................................52 Flood Insurance ....................................................................................................................52 Mandates ...............................................................................................................................54 CHAPTER 5: EMERGENCY