EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 85B To: All Agencies and Departments Under the Mayor From: Michael B. Hancock, Mayor Date: December 7, 2018 Subject: Adoption and Promulgation of the City and County of Denver Hazard Mitigation Plan This memorandum shall be attached to and become a part of Executive Order No. 85, dated June 17, 2011, subject "City and County of Denver's Emergency Management Program and Mission and Organization of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security." The City and County of Denver's Hazard Mitigation Plan, approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on May 3, 2017, is attached and incorporated as a procedural memorandum and contains implementing instructions for this Executive Order. City and County of Denver Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2017 City and County of Denver Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2017 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY WARNING: This plan version, due to the inclusion of Annex B, Human Causes Hazards Risk Assessment, is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO). It contains information that is sensitive, but unclassified, and may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). It is to be controlled, stored, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with local government policies relating to For Official Use Only information and is not to be released to the public or other personnel who do not have a valid "need-to-know" without prior approval of an authorized government official. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. iii 1.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................. iii 1.2 Background and Scope ......................................................................................................... iii 1.3 Plan Organization ................................................................................................................. iv 2.0 COMMUNITY PROFILE .................................................................................................................. 2.1 2.1 Geography and Climate ..................................................................................................... 2.2 2.2 Property ............................................................................................................................. 2.4 2.3 Infrastructure .................................................................................................................... 2.5 2.4 Demographics .................................................................................................................... 2.6 2.5 Economy ............................................................................................................................ 2.8 3.0 PLANNING PROCESS .................................................................................................................... 3.1 3.1 Background on Mitigation Planning in Denver ................................................................. 3.1 3.2 What’s New in the Plan Update ........................................................................................ 3.2 3.3 Local Government Participation ........................................................................................ 3.4 3.4 The 10‐Step Planning Process ........................................................................................... 3.4 4.0 RISK ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................................................... 4.1 4.1 Hazard Identification ......................................................................................................... 4.2 4.2 Asset Summary ................................................................................................................ 4.19 4.3 Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment ............................................................................. 4.31 4.4 Capability Assessment ................................................................................................... 4.139 5.0 MITIGATION STRATEGY ................................................................................................................ 5.1 5.1 Mitigation Strategy Overview ........................................................................................... 5.1 5.2 Identification and Analysis of Mitigation Actions ............................................................. 5.2 5.3 Mitigation Action Plan ....................................................................................................... 5.5 6.0 PLAN ADOPTION ........................................................................................................................ 6.1 7.0 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE .................................................................................. 7.1 7.1 Implementation ................................................................................................................. 7.1 7.2 Maintenance/Monitoring .................................................................................................. 7.2 CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – TABLE OF CONTENTS Page i ANNEXES ANNEX A: DENVER WATER ANNEX B: HUMAN‐CAUSED HAZARDS RISK ASSESSMENT (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY) APPENDICES APPENDIX A: HAZARD‐SPECIFIC CAPABILITIES APPENDIX B: COMPLETED MITIGATION ACTIONS APPENDIX C: HAZARD MITIGATION STEERING COMMITTEE AND STAKEHOLDER WORK GROUP APPENDIX D: PLANNING PROCESS DOCUMENTATION APPENDIX E: ADOPTION DOCUMENTATION APPENDIX F: HISTORIC LANDMARKS APPENDIX G: REFERENCES CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ii 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Purpose The City and County of Denver prepared this Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) to better protect the people and property of the City from the effects of a multitude of natural and human caused hazards. This plan demonstrates Denver’s commitment to reducing risks from these hazards and serves as a tool to help decision makers direct mitigation activities and resources. This plan was also developed, among other things, to ensure Denver’s eligibility for certain federal disaster assistance: specifically, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs. Mitigation planning can also earn credits for the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS) which provides for lower flood insurance premiums for residents in CRS communities such as Denver. 1.2 Background and Scope Each year in the United States, natural disasters take the lives of hundreds of people and injure thousands more. Nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually to help communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals recover from disasters. These monies only partially reflect the true cost of disasters as additional expenses incurred by insurance companies and nongovernmental organizations are not reimbursed by tax dollars. Many of the effects of natural disasters are predictable, and much of the damage caused by these events can be reduced or even eliminated if appropriate actions are taken. Hazard mitigation is defined by FEMA as “any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long‐term risk to human life and property from a hazard event.” The results of a three‐year, congressionally mandated independent study to assess future savings from mitigation activities provides evidence that mitigation activities are highly cost‐effective. On average, each dollar spent on mitigation saves society an average of $4 in avoided future losses in addition to saving lives and preventing injuries (National Institute of Building Science Multi‐Hazard Mitigation Council 2005). Hazard mitigation planning is the process through which hazards are identified, likely impacts are determined, mitigation goals are set, and appropriate mitigation strategies are developed, prioritized, and implemented. This plan documents Denver’s hazard mitigation planning process and the strategies the City will use to decrease vulnerability and increase resiliency and sustainability throughout the community. This plan was prepared pursuant to the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106‐390) and the implementing regulations set forth by the Interim Final Rule published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2002, (44 CFR §201.6) and finalized on October 31, 2007. (Hereafter, these requirements and regulations will be referred to collectively as the Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) or DMA 2000.) While the act emphasized the need for mitigation plans and more coordinated mitigation planning and implementation efforts, the regulations established requirements that local hazard mitigation plans must meet in order for the City to remain eligible for certain federal disaster assistance and hazard mitigation funding under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistant Act (Public Law 93‐288). This planning effort also followed FEMA’s Local Mitigation Planning Handbook (March 2013). Information in this plan will be used to help guide and coordinate mitigation activities and decisions for local land use policy in the future. Proactive mitigation planning will help reduce the cost of future CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – TABLE OF CONTENTS Page iii disasters in the City by protecting critical community facilities,