Section 1 Introduction and Profile

BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION AND PROFILE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Generally, the first question asked when communities begin the process of preparing a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is very simply, “What is a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and what is its intended purpose?” First, it is imperative to define precisely what the term mitigation entails. On definition of the term is stated most effectively by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is as follows: “Mitigation is defined as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and property from a hazard event. Mitigation, also known as prevention (when done before a disaster), encourages long-term reduction of hazard vulnerability. The goal of mitigation is to decrease the need for response as opposed to simply increasing the response capability.” (www.fema.gov). The Benton County Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan was prepared for the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Benton County in response to the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000). DMA 2000 requires states and local governments to prepare hazard mitigation plans in order to remain eligible to receive federal funds made available in the wake of a Presidential Disaster declaration. It is important to remember that mitigation funds are distinct from response and recovery funds available from state and federal sources intended for immediate disaster relief. To produce a DMA 2000 compliant plan, municipalities must document their hazard mitigation planning process and identify hazards, potential losses, and mitigation needs, goals and strategies. With that definition in mind, a mitigation plan is a document that is intended to accomplish several things. First, through the planning process, the hazards that pose a risk to the community are identified. Second, hazards will be assessed based on their historic patterns of occurrence, the number of people that could be impacted, the area of the community that could be affected, the potential costs that the County, individuals and organizations may incur, the likelihood of future occurrence, and the amount of warning time before that hazard event occurs. Once the assessment is completed, a list of current and historic mitigation efforts is compiled and discussed. Through this discussion, areas that can be improved upon are identified and developed into “action steps.” Early in the planning process, meeting attendees will identify broad goals that briefly state what the plan should attempt to accomplish. Every action step should, if implemented, work toward one of more of the goals of the plan. An action step may suggest continuing a current mitigation effort or propose an entirely new project. When implemented appropriately, mitigation projects can save lives, reduce property damage, and are both cost effective and environmentally sound. This, in turn, can reduce the enormous cost of disasters to property owners and all levels of government. In addition, mitigation can protect critical community facilities, reduce exposure to liability, and minimize community disruption. 1 BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 The original Benton County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan prepared by Emergency Management Consultant Steve Meyer in 2011. The plan included the Unincorporated Benton County area, the City of Atkins, the City of Belle Plaine, the City of Blairstown, the City of Garrison, the City of Keystone, the City of Luzerne, the City of Mt. Auburn, the City of Newhall, the City of Norway, the City of Shellsburg, the City of Urbana, the City of Van Horne, the City of Vinton, the Benton Community School District, the Center Point-Urbana School District, the Vinton-Shellsburg School District and the Vinton Municipal Electric Utility. All of these jurisdictions participated in the planning process for the 2016 revision to the Benton County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. In addition, a special appendix (Appendix E, page 693) was added to address the mitigation needs of the Vinton Municipal Electric Utility. The Mitigation Strategy section of this plan details the 21 action items that were determined by the planning committee. These action items were incorporated into each individual jurisdictions mitigation strategy as detailed in the Mitigation Strategy section. A table summarizing changes made to the plan can be found in Appendix G, page 719. This update to the 2016 revision was completed by Consultant Steve Meyer of Steve Meyer Consulting LLC in 2021. As noted in the preface, the 2021 update has the following data limitations: 1) The timing for completion of the update fell before release of the 2020 US Census Data which was scheduled for mid-year 2021. Iowa Dept. of Homeland Security officials advised to use the 2010 Census Data information. Hence, unless otherwise noted, the only census data that could be used was the 2010 data used in the 2016 revision. 2) Revision of this plan also occurred during the time period when the COVID 19 Pandemic was impacting the country. Due to social distancing recommendations face-to-face meetings were not held and other means of public input were solicited via e-mail and phone consultations 3) Benton County sustained severe and devastating property damage in the August 10, 2020 Derecho Wind Disaster (DR-4552) that has went down as the costliest wind related disaster in United States history. The Benton County Assessor has stated that assessed property values in Benton County that were determined earlier in 2020 are invalid and inaccurate due to the damages incurred. Updated property values will not be available until mid to late 2021. As a general observation, populations and population dynamics of the county have not changed substantially from 2010-2020 with the exception of the ongoing residential development in the eastern communities of the county. 2 BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 PLANNING AREA PROFILE AND CAPABILITIES An important step in the planning process was to develop a community profile for each city and the unincorporated area participating in the multi-jurisdictional planning process. This required the planning team to research climate and weather, geography, land use, and other conditions that impact the jurisdictions or can be influenced by hazards present in the planning area. This information is utilized throughout the plan to identify hazard risk areas and other vulnerabilities. This section provides a general profile of Benton County followed by descriptions of each of the jurisdictions participating in this plan and their existing mitigation capabilities. BENTON COUNTY Figure 1: Benton County planning area Incorporated communities of Benton County include: Atkins, Belle Plaine, Blairstown, Garrison, Keystone, Luzerne, Mt. Auburn, Newhall, Norway, Shellsburg, Urbana, Van Horne, Vinton and Walford. The county also includes 20 townships: Bruce, Cedar, Harrison, Polk, Benton, Taylor, Jackson, Monroe, Homer, Big Grove, Eden, Canton, Kane, Union, Eldorado, Fremont, Florence, St. Clair, Leroy and Iowa. Counties contiguous to Benton County include Black Hawk County (northwest), Buchanan County (northeast), Linn County (east), Iowa County (south), Tama County (west). 3 BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 Figure 2: Map of Benton County 4 BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 GEOGRAPHY Benton County is in east-central Iowa (fig. 1). It is rectangular and is about 30 miles from north to south and 24 miles from east to west. According to the US Census Bureau, Benton County has a total area of 459,520 acres, or 720 square miles of which 718 square miles is land and 2 square miles (0.29%) is water. The county is about 65 percent cropland, 15 percent pastureland, 15 percent woodland, wasteland, and idle land, and 5 percent urban land. Corn for grain and seed, soybeans, cattle, and hogs are the principal farm products. Benton County is on a loess-covered glacial till plain. The soils in the dominantly gently sloping and moderately sloping areas formed in loess and till under prairie vegetation. The soils in the steeper areas formed in loess and till under trees. The county has some of the richest agricultural soils in the world. The highest areas in the county are located in Polk and Jackson townships and are 1,050 feet to 1,100 feet above sea level. The lowest areas are on bottom land along the Cedar River at the Benton-Linn County line and on the Iowa River bottom. The elevation of these areas is 700 feet to 750 feet above sea level. The relief is stronger along the Cedar River and in the southern part of the county. It is less pronounced in the west-central part of the county. 5 BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 Figure 3: Benton County elevations 6 BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 Atkins Figure 4: Atkins elevations Atkins is located at 41°59′41″N 91°51′40″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.09 square miles (2.82 km2), all of it land in sections 13 and 14 of Fremont Township. Atkins is located on land that is generally flat, with the lowest elevation being 830 feet above sea level and highest elevation 880 feet above sea level. 7 BENTON COUNTY 2021 MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 1 Belle Plaine Figure 5: Belle Plaine elevations Belle Plaine is a city in southern Benton County located at 41°53′48″N 92°16′39″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.23 square miles (8.37 km2), of which, 3.22 square miles (8.34 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water. The city is located on land that is flat to the south at an elevation of 770 feet above sea level and gently slopes to 890 feet above sea level on the city’s north side.

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