City of Austin

CITY OF AUSTIN HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE September 2010 M AINTAINING A S AFE, S ECURE AND S USTAINABLE C OMMUNITY TABLE OF CONTENTS For more information, visit our website at: www.ci.austin.tx.us/oem Written comments should be forwarded to: Erin Capps H2O Partners, Inc P. O. Box 160130 Austin, Texas 78716 [email protected] www.h2opartnersusa.com M AINTAINING A S AFE, S ECURE AND S USTAINABLE C OMMUNITY Table of Contents Section 1 Introduction Background ............................................................................................................................... 1-1 Scope ......................................................................................................................................... 1-3 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................... 1-5 Authority ................................................................................................................................... 1-5 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 1-6 Section 2 – Planning Process Plan Preparation and Development ........................................................................................ 2-1 Review and Incorporation of Existing Plans ........................................................................... 2-6 Public & Stakeholder Involvement .......................................................................................... 2-6 Section 3 – Community Profile Overview ................................................................................................................................... 3-1 History and Government .......................................................................................................... 3-2 Geography and the Environment ............................................................................................ 3-4 Population and Demographics ................................................................................................. 3-7 Economy and Industry ........................................................................................................... 3-13 Section 4 – Hazard Identification Hazards Considered ................................................................................................................. 4-1 Hazard Descriptions ................................................................................................................. 4-4 Section 5 – Hazard Profiles Overview ................................................................................................................................... 5-1 Extreme Heat ........................................................................................................................... 5-2 Hail ............................................................................................................................................ 5-6 Hurricane Wind ..................................................................................................................... .5-13 Thunderstorm ......................................................................................................................... 5-14 Tornado ................................................................................................................................... 5-19 Winter Storm .......................................................................................................................... 5-24 Drought ................................................................................................................................... 5-28 Flood ........................................................................................................................................ 5-31 Wildfire ................................................................................................................................... 5-43 Infectious Disease ................................................................................................................... 5-51 City of Austin | Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Page 2 Table of Contents Dam Failure ............................................................................................................................ 5-58 Hazardous Materials Release ................................................................................................ 5-63 Pipeline Failure ...................................................................................................................... 5-67 Terrorism ................................................................................................................................ 5-77 Section 6 – Vulnerability Assessment Overview ................................................................................................................................... 6-1 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 6-2 Study Area ................................................................................................................................ 6-7 Impact ..................................................................................................................................... 6-12 Development Trends .............................................................................................................. 6-29 Hazard Ranking ..................................................................................................................... 6-30 Section 7 – Capability Assessment Description ................................................................................................................................ 7-1 Process ...................................................................................................................................... 7-2 Assessment Findings ................................................................................................................ 7-2 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 7-13 Section 8 – Mitigation Strategy Mitigation Goals ....................................................................................................................... 8-1 Section 9 – Mitigation Actions Previous Actions ....................................................................................................................... 9-1 New Actions ........................................................................................................................... .9-61 Section 10 – Plan Maintenance Procedures Overview ................................................................................................................................. 10-1 Monitoring ............................................................................................................................. .10-1 Updating ................................................................................................................................. 10-2 Implementation/Incorporation/Evaluation ........................................................................... 10-3 Continued Public Involvement .............................................................................................. 10-5 City of Austin | Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Page 3 Table of Contents Appendix A – Team Members Appendix B – Public Survey Results Appendix C – Toxic Sites Appendix D – Critical Facilities Appendix E – Meeting Documentation Appendix F – Funding Guide City of Austin | Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Page 4 INTRODUCTION Background .................................................................................................................... 1 Scope ............................................................................................................................... 3 Purpose ........................................................................................................................... 5 Authority ........................................................................................................................ 5 Summary of Sections ..................................................................................................... 6 Background The City of Austin is the Capital of Texas. It is a vibrant community known for arts, culture, education and music. Austin’s vision is to become the most livable city in the country. This vision is supported through: city council priorities; organizational values; comprehensive planning; and corporate initiatives. The City of Austin is committed to providing the highest level of service to its citizens, and comprehensive planning is integral in realizing the City’s vision. Austin’s comprehensive planning structure is established as a pyramid. The first three layers of the pyramid focus on overarching long-term planning efforts: city vision, council priorities and long-range council policies and plans. This level of detail provides the framework for the mid and short-range planning documents that are more responsive to changes in the environment and are easily refined and revisited on a regular basis. Moving down the planning pyramid, more flexibility is allowed while modifications stay confined to the vision and council priorities. M AINTAINING A S AFE,

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