TOWN OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE River Road Bridge over the Piscataquog River, replaced in 2016 HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE 2018 TOWN OF WEARE NEW HAMPSHIRE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE Adopted November 5, 2018 Prepared by the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission The preparation of this document has been financed in part by a grant from the State of New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Acknowledgements Appreciation is extended to the following people for contributing their time and effort to complete the Weare Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2018: Weare Hazard Mitigation Committee Members Sean Kelly - Chief of Police, Weare Police Department Naomi Bolton - Town Administrator Sue Tuthill - Administrative Secretary, Weare Fire Department Robert Vezina - Emergency Management Director & Fire Chief, Town of Weare Benjamin Knapp - Director, Weare Department of Public Works Chip Meany - Land Use Coordinator, Weare Building Department Tom Clow - Weare Board of Selectmen Chip Meany - Building Inspector Marjory Burke - School Board Representative Aprylle Desrosiers - Associate Principal, John Stark Regional High School Emily Dauphinais - Administrative Secretary, Police Department Thanks also to: • The New Hampshire Department of Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management,, which developed the State of New Hampshire Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2013; • The Southwest Region Planning Commission, which developed Hazard Mitigation Planning for New Hampshire Communities; and • The Auburn, Bedford, Chester, Derry, Goffstown, Hooksett, Londonderry, Manchester, and New Boston Hazard Mitigation Committees and their respective Hazard Mitigation Plans. All the above publications served as models for this plan. "We will of course be there to help after disaster strikes, but as you all know, there’s no substitute for mitigation before it does.... As a poet once wrote, "the test of men lies in action." We as emergency managers and first responders cannot afford to wait for action…. Through planning, mitigation, education, and cooperation, we can make sure our at-risk communities are prepared before the first drop of rain or gust of wind ever threatens our shores." —Joe Allbaugh, Director of FEMA, addressing the 2002 National Hurricane Conference i Preface Hazard mitigation planning is a relatively new field, spearheaded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during the 1990s after Hurricane Andrew caused more than $20 billion in damage across several southern states. That event resulted in 54 fatalities and the disruption of millions of lives. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, developed by FEMA, was intended to help both communities and states prepare for, and deal with, such disasters. While New England normally does not have hurricanes of Andrew’s magnitude, this area does experience many types of natural disasters that cost both lives and money. These disasters and other natural hazards occur during all four seasons in the Northeast: winter ice, snow, and nor’easters; spring flooding; summer downbursts and thunderstorms; and fall hurricanes. Planning to make a community disaster-resistant before these events occur can help save lives as well as homes and infrastructure. FEMA has several programs designed to strengthen the nation’s disaster resistance by reducing risks and changing conditions and behaviors before a disaster in order to protect lives and prevent the loss of property. A community’s eligibility for hazard mitigation funding depends upon its having adopted a hazard mitigation plan that addresses these issues. Mitigation measures contained within the Weare Hazard Mitigation Plan may be sufficient to receive grant funding. It is hoped that this document will be a good first step toward analyzing hazards in Weare, forecasting where potential disasters might occur, and reducing their impact on people and the community. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. i Preface .................................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary ........................................................................................... vii I. INTRODUCTION Natural Hazards and Their Consequences .......................................................1 What Is Hazard Mitigation? ................................................................................3 Why Develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan? .........................................................3 Benefits of Hazard Mitigation .............................................................................4 Background: Weare Hazard Mitigation Planning ............................................4 Purpose .......................................................................................................4 Authority ....................................................................................................5 Scope of the Plan .......................................................................................5 Methodology ..............................................................................................5 Plan Update Methodology ......................................................................6 Plan Update Public Committee Meetings .............................................6 Public Outreach and Coordination .......................................................6 Incorporation into Town Planning .....................................................................9 Existing Weare Emergency Management Plan .................................................9 State of New Hampshire Legislation Related to Master Plans ....................10 Plan Development Steps 1-10 ............................................................................11 Hazard Mitigation Goals for the Town of Weare ...........................................13 II. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION Location, Population, Topography, and Climate ...........................................14 Current Land Use Development Trends in Weare ........................................15 National Flood Insurance Program ..................................................................16 Hazard Identification .........................................................................................20 A. Flooding ..........................................................................................................22 1. Riverine flooding ....................................................................................22 2. Hurricanes ................................................................................................27 3. Debris-impacted infrastructure and river ice jams ............................29 4. Erosion and mudslides ...........................................................................29 5. Rapid snow pack melt ............................................................................30 6. Dam breach or failure .............................................................................30 B. Wind ................................................................................................................33 1. Hurricanes ................................................................................................34 2. Tornadoes .................................................................................................35 3. Nor’easters ...............................................................................................36 4. Downbursts ..............................................................................................37 5. Lightning ..................................................................................................38 iii Table of Contents (continued) C. Fire ...................................................................................................................39 1. Wild land fires .........................................................................................39 2. Isolated homes .........................................................................................41 D. Ice and Snow Events .....................................................................................42 1. Heavy snowstorms .................................................................................42 2. Ice storms .................................................................................................45 3. Hailstorms ................................................................................................47 E. Seismic Events ...............................................................................................48 1. Earthquakes .............................................................................................48 2. Landslides ................................................................................................52 F. Other Hazards ...............................................................................................52 1. Utility pipe failure ...................................................................................52 2. Drought ....................................................................................................53 3. Extreme heat ............................................................................................54 4. Extreme cold ............................................................................................56