PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK Houghton County Hazard Mitigation Plan Table of Contents SECTION 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................ 2 Scope ................................................................................................................................... 3 Authority ............................................................................................................................. 3 SECTION 2: Planning Process .................................................................................................... 4 Overview of Hazard Mitigation Planning ........................................................................... 4 History of Hazard Mitigation Planning in Houghton County ............................................. 5 Preparing the 2020 Plan ...................................................................................................... 5 The Planning Team ............................................................................................................. 7 Local Planning Team Meetings .......................................................................................... 9 Involving the Public .......................................................................................................... 10 Involving Stakeholders ..................................................................................................... 11 SECTION 3: Community Profile .............................................................................................. 13 Geography, Environment, and Land Use .......................................................................... 13 Population and Demographics .......................................................................................... 18 Housing and Infrastructure ............................................................................................... 20 Employment and Industry ................................................................................................. 25 Police, Fire, and Emergency Services ............................................................................... 26 Critical Facilities and Cultural Assets............................................................................... 29 Disaster Declarations ........................................................................................................ 35 SECTION 4: Hazard Identification .......................................................................................... 36 SECTION 5: Hazard Analysis ................................................................................................... 42 Study Area ........................................................................................................................ 42 Natural Hazards: Weather Hazards ................................................................................... 42 Extreme Temperatures ................................................................................................ 43 Fog .............................................................................................................................. 46 Hail .............................................................................................................................. 47 Ice and Sleet Storms.................................................................................................... 51 Lightning ..................................................................................................................... 52 Severe Winds .............................................................................................................. 54 Snowstorms and Blizzards .......................................................................................... 58 Tornadoes .................................................................................................................... 61 Hydrological Hazards ....................................................................................................... 65 Dam Failures ............................................................................................................... 66 Riverine and Urban Flooding...................................................................................... 70 Shoreline Flooding and Erosion.................................................................................. 75 Drought ....................................................................................................................... 77 Ecological Hazards ........................................................................................................... 79 iii Houghton County Hazard Mitigation Plan Wildfires ..................................................................................................................... 79 Invasive Species .......................................................................................................... 82 Geological Hazards ........................................................................................................... 87 Earthquakes ................................................................................................................. 87 Subsidence (Ground Collapse) ................................................................................... 88 Technological Hazards: Industrial Hazards ...................................................................... 91 Scrap Tire Fire ............................................................................................................ 91 Structural Fires ............................................................................................................ 92 Hazardous Materials: Fixed Site Incident ................................................................... 95 Hazardous Materials: Transportation Accident .......................................................... 99 Petroleum and Natural Gas Incidents ....................................................................... 100 Infrastructure Hazards ..................................................................................................... 104 Infrastructure Failures and Secondary Technological Hazards ................................ 104 Transportation Accidents .......................................................................................... 106 Human-Related Hazards ................................................................................................. 107 Civil Disturbances ..................................................................................................... 108 Public Health Emergencies ....................................................................................... 109 Sabotage and Terrorism ............................................................................................ 114 SECTION 6: Risk Assessment ................................................................................................. 117 Differential Vulnerability................................................................................................ 117 Hazard Priority Risk Index and Ranking ........................................................................ 125 SECTION 7: Hazard Mitigation ............................................................................................. 132 Overview of Mitigation Strategy Development .............................................................. 132 Review and Update of Mitigation Goals ........................................................................ 134 Capability Assessment .................................................................................................... 134 Mitigating Hazards in Houghton County ........................................................................ 137 Mitigation Resources ...................................................................................................... 147 Updating the 2020 Houghton County Hazard Mitigation Plan ...................................... 148 SECTION 8: Action Plan ......................................................................................................... 149 Past Mitigation Accomplishments .................................................................................. 149 Appendix .................................................................................................................................... 162 Appendix A: County Capability Snapshot Appendix B: Shoreline Erosion Maps for Houghton County Appendix C: Mitigation Funding and Resources Appendix D: County Letter to Commit Match Appendix E: Public Participation Appendix F: Meeting Materials Appendix G: State Document Review Appendix H: Plan Adoption iv Houghton County Hazard Mitigation Plan Table of Figures Figure 2.1: Hazard Mitigation Planning Process ............................................................................ 6 Figure 5.1: NOAA’s National Weather Service Heat Index Chart ............................................... 44 Table of Maps Map 3.1: Houghton County Townships and Municipalities ......................................................... 14 Map 3.2: Land Use/Cover in Houghton