The Combined Cheyenne/Laramie County Hazard Mitigation and Strategy Plan Comprehensive Update January 2013 Albin – Burns – Cheyenne – Pine Bluffs
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE COMBINED CHEYENNE/LARAMIE COUNTY HAZARD MITIGATION AND STRATEGY PLAN COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE JANUARY 2013 ALBIN – BURNS – CHEYENNE – PINE BLUFFS LARAMIE COUNTY Laramie County Emergency Management Agency 3962 Archer Parkway Cheyenne, WY 82009 Combined Cheyenne/Laramie County Hazard Mitigation and Strategy Plan January 2013 Developed by Laramie County, the City of Cheyenne, and the Towns of Albin, Burns, and Pine Bluffs with professional planning assistance from AMEC Environment and Infrastructure Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Management Program THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1.1 1.1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................1.1 1.2 Background and Scope .........................................................................................1.1 1.3 Multi-Jurisdictional Planning................................................................................1.2 1.4 Plan Organization..................................................................................................1.3 2 COMMUNITY PROFILE ......................................................................................................2.1 2.1 Geography and Climate ........................................................................................2.1 2.2 History...................................................................................................................2.3 2.3 Population and Development Trends ....................................................................2.3 2.4 Government...........................................................................................................2.6 2.5 Economy ...............................................................................................................2.6 2.6 Building Inventory and Assets ..............................................................................2.7 2.7 Mitigation Capabilities Assessment ....................................................................2.16 2.7.1 Laramie County Mitigation Capabilities ................................................2.17 2.7.2 City of Cheyenne Mitigation Capabilities ..............................................2.21 2.7.3 Town of Albin Mitigation Capabilities ...................................................2.25 2.7.4 Town of Burns Mitigation Capabilities ..................................................2.26 2.7.5 Town of Pine Bluffs Mitigation Capabilities ..........................................2.29 2.7.6 Special Districts ......................................................................................2.30 2.7.7 Participation in National Flood Insurance Program................................2.31 3 PLANNING PROCESS .........................................................................................................3.1 3.1 Background on Mitigation Planning in Laramie County ......................................3.1 3.1.1 Plan Section Review and Analysis – 2012 Update ...................................3.1 3.2 Local Government Participation ...........................................................................3.2 3.3 The 10-Step Planning Process ..............................................................................3.3 3.3.1 Phase 1: Organize Resources ....................................................................3.4 3.3.2 Phase 2: Assess Risks ...............................................................................3.8 3.3.3 Phase 3: Develop the Mitigation Plan .......................................................3.8 3.3.4 Phase 4: Implement the Plan and Monitor Progress .................................3.9 4 RISK ASSESSMENT AND HAZARD PROFILE ......................................................................4.1 4.1 Hazard Identification ............................................................................................4.2 4.1.1 Results and Methodology .........................................................................4.2 4.1.2 Disaster Declaration History .....................................................................4.5 4.2 Hazard Profiles......................................................................................................4.8 4.2.1 Profile Methodology .................................................................................4.8 4.2.2 Dam Failure ............................................................................................4.11 4.2.3 Drought ...................................................................................................4.18 4.2.4 Earthquake ..............................................................................................4.30 4.2.5 Extreme Cold ..........................................................................................4.42 4.2.6 Flood .......................................................................................................4.48 Hazard Mitigation and Strategy Plan i January 2013 4.2.7 Hailstorm.................................................................................................4.82 4.2.8 Hazardous Materials ...............................................................................4.89 4.2.9 Lightning ...............................................................................................4.108 4.2.10 Tornadoes ..............................................................................................4.114 4.2.11 Wildland Fires .......................................................................................4.122 4.2.12 Windstorms ...........................................................................................4.134 4.2.13 Winter Storms and Blizzards ................................................................4.148 5 MITIGATION STRATEGY ...................................................................................................5.1 5.1 Goals .....................................................................................................................5.1 5.2 Identification and Analysis of Mitigation Actions ................................................5.3 5.2.1 Prioritization Process ................................................................................5.4 5.3 Mitigation Action Plan ..........................................................................................5.5 5.3.1 Progress on Previous Mitigation Actions .................................................5.5 5.3.2 Continued Compliance with NFIP ..........................................................5.10 5.3.3 Updated Mitigation Action Plan .............................................................5.10 6 PLAN ADOPTION ...............................................................................................................6.1 7 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE ................................................................7.1 7.1 Implementation .....................................................................................................7.1 7.1.1 Role of Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee in Implementation and Maintenance .......................................................................................7.2 7.2 Maintenance ..........................................................................................................7.2 7.2.1 Maintenance Schedule ..............................................................................7.2 7.2.2 Maintenance Evaluation Process ..............................................................7.3 7.2.3 Incorporation into Existing Planning Mechanisms ...................................7.4 7.2.4 Continued Public Involvement .................................................................7.5 APPENDICES Appendix A: Mitigation Actions Appendix B: Planning Process Documentation Appendix C: Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee Appendix D: References Appendix E: Plan Adoption Appendix F: Critical Facilities Inventory Appendix G: Historic Resources Hazard Mitigation and Strategy Plan ii January 2013 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose Laramie County and the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming, along with the participating jurisdictions of the Town of Albin, Town of Burns, and the Town of Pine Bluffs, have prepared this local hazard mitigation plan to guide hazard mitigation planning to better protect the people and property of the County from the effects of hazard events. This plan, updated in 2012, demonstrates the communities’ commitment to reducing risks from hazards and serves as a tool to help decision makers direct mitigation activities and resources. This plan was also developed to make Laramie County, the City of Cheyenne, and participating jurisdictions eligible for certain federal disaster assistance, specifically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation program, as well as to make the County more disaster resistant. Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and other funding opportunities may be available. 1.2 Background and Scope Each year in the United States, 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, because additional expenses to insurance