Southeast Alabama Regional Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan A HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN FOR AEMA DIVISION B COUNTIES: BARBOUR, BUTLER, COFFEE, COVINGTON, GENEVA, HENRY, HOUSTON, AND ELIGIBLE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS Adopted by SEARP&DC – September 24, 2015 Table of Contents Section 1 Hazard Mitigation Plan Introduction 1.1 Plan Scope 1.2 Authority 1.3 Funding 1.4 Purpose Section 2 Regional Profile 2.1 Background 2.2 Demographics 2.3 Business and Industry 2.4 Infrastructure 2.5 Land Use and Development Trends Section 3 Planning Process 3.1 Multi-Jurisdictional Plan Adoption 3.2 Multi-Jurisdictional Planning Participation 3.3 Hazard Mitigation Planning Process 3.4 Public and Other Stakeholder Involvement 3.5 Integration with Existing Plans Section 4 Risk Assessment 4.1 Hazard Overview 4.2 Hazard Profiles 4.3 Technological and Human-Caused Hazards 4.4 Vulnerability Overview 4.5 Probability of Future Occurrence and Loss Estimation 4.6 Total Population and Property Valuation Summary by Jurisdiction 4.7 Critical Facilities/Infrastructure by Jurisdiction 4.8 Hazard Impacts Section 5 Mitigation 5.1 Mitigation Planning Process 5.2 Regional Mitigation Goals 5.3 Regional Mitigation Strategies 5.4 Capabilities Assessment for Local Jurisdictions 5.5 Jurisdictional Mitigation Action Plans 5.5.1 SEARP&DC Mitigation Actions 5.5.2 Barbour County Jurisdictions Actions 5.5.3 Butler County Jurisdictions Actions 5.5.4 Coffee County Jurisdictions Actions 5.5.5 Covington County Jurisdictions Actions 5.5.6 Geneva County Jurisdictions Actions 5.5.7 Henry County Jurisdictions Actions 5.5.8 Houston County Jurisdictions Actions 2 Section 6 Plan Maintenance Process 6.1 Hazard Mitigation Monitoring, Evaluation, and Update Process 6.2 Hazard Mitigation Plan Incorporation 6.3 Public Awareness/Participation 3 Section 1 - Hazard Mitigation Plan Introduction Section Contents 1.1 Plan Scope 1.2 Authority 1.3 Funding 1.4 Purpose 4 1.1 Plan Scope The Southeast Alabama Regional Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan is a plan that details the multitude of hazards that affect the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) Division B area. This region includes Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Pike counties and the municipalities, as well as other jurisdictions, within these counties. The first version of this plan covers Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties. Crenshaw, Dale, and Pike counties will be inserted in future updates. This plan fulfills the requirements set forth by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000). DMA 2000 requires counties to formulate a hazard mitigation plan in order to be eligible for mitigation grants made available by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Each of the ten counties in AEMA Division B has an existing multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan. This plan compiles information from each of those existing plans and documents the incorporation of hazard mitigation objectives into the region, as a whole. The AEMA Division B has a diversity of economical and physical development, but many of the hazards affecting the region have similar impacts throughout the area. A regional hazard mitigation plan is able to encapsulate these similarities in risk and vulnerability impact, with regional stakeholders being able to discuss mitigation techniques for these similar impacts. 1.2 Authority Section 409 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (public Law 93-228, as amended), Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations, as amended by Part 201 of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires that all state and local governments develop a hazard mitigation plan as a condition of receiving federal disaster assistance. These plans should be approved by FEMA and updated every five years. 1.3 Funding Funding for the Southeast Alabama Regional Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan was made available through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), under Disaster Recovery Declaration 1971 (DR-1971). Supplemental funding was supplied by the county commissions of Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties, and the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (SEARP&DC). 1.4 Purpose The Southeast Alabama Regional Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan is an effort to evaluate and identify all prioritized hazards which may affect AEMA Division B. It presents mitigation strategies that address the hazards identified. This plan is only one of many steps jurisdictions in Southeast Alabama will take to protect the welfare of residents by achieving a safer environment for its residents. 5 Section 2 - Regional Profile Section Contents 2.1 Background 2.2 Demographics 2.3 Business and Industry 2.4 Infrastructure 2.5 Land Use and Development Trends 6 2.1 Background The planning area is Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) Division B, one of the seven emergency management divisions within the state. AEMA Division B is located in southeastern Alabama (Figure 2.1). AEMA Division B is comprised of the following ten counties: Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Pike, and 70 municipalities within those counties. This version of the multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan covers seven of the ten AEMA Division B counties and their jurisdictions (Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Geneva, Henry, and Houston). The additional three counties and their jurisdictions (Crenshaw, Dale, and Pike) in the AEMA Division B are currently covered by their own hazard mitigation plan and will be fully included in a subsequent update. Information from the entire AEMA Division B is included in this profile. Figure 2.1 AEMA Division B Covington County is the largest county by area with 1,030 square miles. The smallest county is Dale County with 561 square miles. The total land area of the region is 6,929 square miles, which is slightly less than 14% of the state’s area, and is presented by county below (Table 2.1). 7 Table 2.1: Total Area by County County Total Area Barbour County 885 square miles Butler County 777 square miles Coffee County 679 square miles Covington County 1,030 square miles Crenshaw County 609 square miles Dale County 561 square miles Geneva County 574 square miles Henry County 562 square miles Houston County 580 square miles Pike County 672 square miles Source: U.S. Census Bureau The entire AEMA Division B area is within the East Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic region. Though the designation of a plain commonly refers to a flat landscape, much of the region consists of a mixture of rounded hills and cuestas (a ridge with steep slopes on one side and gentle slopes on the other), with floodplains along the rivers and streams of the area. There are three main river systems that flow through the region: the Chattahoochee, Choctawhatchee, and Conecuh rivers. The Chattahoochee River flows mainly north-south, separating Barbour, Henry, and Houston counties from Georgia. The Choctawhatchee River flows generally south-southwest from two forks in Barbour County through Dale, Houston, and Geneva counties into Florida. The Pea River is a major tributary to the Choctawhatchee that flows roughly parallel approximately 25 miles to the west, beginning in Bullock County and forming the border between Barbour and Pike counties into Dale, Coffee, and Geneva counties until it empties into the Choctawhatchee at the “Junction” in Geneva. Both the Choctawhatchee and Pea rivers have caused much of the historical riverine flooding issues within the region. The Conecuh River, like the Pea, forms in Bullock County and flows southwest through Pike, Crenshaw, and Covington counties into Florida. The Conecuh River, in Covington County, has two major dams, Gantt and Point ‘A’, which provides hydroelectric generation and recreation opportunities. Occasional damaging flooding has also occurred along the Conecuh, similar to the Choctawhatchee and Pea, though affecting less developed areas. 2.2 Demographics According to the 2010 Census, the total population of AEMA Division B was 378,812 people, representing approximately eight percent (8%) of Alabama (Table 2.1). Houston County, in the southeastern corner of the region and state, is the most populous county (101,547), while Crenshaw County in the northwestern portion of the region is the least populous county (13,906). Population counts from the U.S. Census from 2000, and 2010 for each jurisdiction are below (Table 2.2). 8 Table 2.2: Regional Jurisdiction Population % Jurisdiction 2000 Census Population 2010 Census Population Change Barbour County 29,038 27,457 -5.4% Town of Baker Hill - 279 - Town of Blue Springs 121 96 -20.7% City of Clayton 1,475 3,008 103.9% City of Clio 2,206 1,399 -36.6% City of Eufaula 13,908 13,137 -5.5% Town of Louisville 612 519 -15.2% Butler County 21,399 20,947 -2.1% City of Georgiana 1,737 1,738 0.1% City of Greenville 7,228 8,135 12.5% Town of McKenzie 642 522 -18.7% Coffee County 43,615 49,948 14.5% City of Elba 4,185 3,940 -5.9% City of Enterprise (part) 20,993 26,139 24.5% Town of Kinston 602 540 -10.3% Town of New Brockton 1,250 1,146 -8.3% Covington County 37,631 37,765 0.4% City of Andalusia 8,794 9,015 2.5% Town of Babbie 627 603 -3.8% Town of Carolina 248 297 19.8% City of Florala 1,964 1,980 0.8% Town of Gantt 241 222 -7.9% Town of Heath 249 254 2.0% Town of Horn Hill 235 228 -3.0% Town of Libertyville 106 117 10.4% Town of Lockhart 548 516 -5.8% Town of Onycha 208