Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Standard State Mitigation Plan August 2018 Table of Contents Contents 1.0 – Executive Summary ................................................................................................................1 2.0 – Legal Authorities, Assurances, and Adoption ........................................................................3 2.1 Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 ............................................................................................3 2.2 Final Rule 44 CFR Part 201 ...................................................................................................4 2.3 Section 404 and 406, Post-Disaster Response and Recovery ................................................4 2.4 Authority and Adoption of the CNMI Standard State Mitigation Plan .................................5 2.5 Assurances .............................................................................................................................5 2.6 Governmental Mitigation Responsibilities ............................................................................5 2.7 Role of the Governor’s Office and CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management .................................................................................................................................6 2.8 Role of the State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO)...........................................................6 3.0 – Hazard Mitigation Planning ....................................................................................................8 3.1 Purpose and Goals of the CNMI Disaster Mitigation Planning Process ...............................8 3.2 Mitigation Planning and Grants .............................................................................................8 3.3 Mitigation Stakeholders in the CNMI..................................................................................10 3.4 Method of Development and Update of CNMI SSMP ........................................................11 3.5 State Coordination ...............................................................................................................12 3.6 Local Coordination ..............................................................................................................14 3.7 Summary of Data Collection and Community Vulnerability Assessment ..........................14 3.8 Summary of Mitigation Planning Meetings .........................................................................15 4.0 – Inventory of Assets ...............................................................................................................18 4.1 Overview of the CNMI ........................................................................................................18 4.2 Cultural and Political History ..............................................................................................19 4.3 Population & Land Use ........................................................................................................20 4.4 Climate .................................................................................................................................22 i 4.5 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................................23 4.6 Hydrology & Groundwater Resources.................................................................................23 4.7 Vegetation ............................................................................................................................24 4.8 Economy ..............................................................................................................................25 4.9 Critical Facilities – Essential ...............................................................................................27 4.10 Critical Facilities – Transportation Systems ......................................................................36 4.11 Critical Facilities – Lifeline Utility Systems .....................................................................43 4.12 Critical Facilities – High Potential Loss Facilities ............................................................51 4.13 Critical Facilities – Hazardous Materials Storage and Disposal ........................................52 4.14 Vulnerable Populations ......................................................................................................53 4.15 Economically Important Assets .........................................................................................56 4.16 Socially, Culturally, and Environmentally Important Assets ............................................57 4.17 Other Important Facilities ..................................................................................................69 5.0 – Hazard Profiles and Analysis ................................................................................................73 5.1 Hazard Identification and Analysis ......................................................................................73 5.2 Typhoons Profile ..................................................................................................................75 5.3 Flooding Profile ...................................................................................................................83 5.4 Earthquake Profile ...............................................................................................................86 5.5 Volcanic Eruption Profile ....................................................................................................88 5.6 Tsunami Profile ....................................................................................................................92 5.7 Drought Profile ....................................................................................................................95 5.8 Wildfire Profile ....................................................................................................................99 5.9 Climate Change Profile ......................................................................................................102 6.0 – Loss Estimates (Out of Scope for 2018 Update) ................................................................121 6.1 Estimated Losses Attributable to Identified Hazards.........................................................121 6.2 Typhoon Loss Estimate......................................................................................................123 6.3 Flood Loss Estimate ...........................................................................................................125 6.4 Earthquake Loss Estimate ..................................................................................................126 6.5 Volcanic Eruption Loss Estimate.......................................................................................127 6.6 Tsunami Loss Estimate ......................................................................................................127 6.7 Drought Loss Estimate .......................................................................................................128 ii 6.8 Wildfire Loss Estimate ......................................................................................................129 6.9 Climate Change Loss Estimate ..........................................................................................130 6.10 Assessment of Risk Priorities ..........................................................................................130 7.0 – Hazard Mitigation Strategy .................................................................................................133 7.1 Hazard Mitigation Goals and Objectives ...........................................................................133 7.2 Categories of Hazard Mitigation Actions ..........................................................................137 7.3 Criteria for Prioritizing Funding ........................................................................................138 7.4 Mitigation Resources and Programs ..................................................................................139 7.5 Governmental Mitigation Responsibilities ........................................................................143 7.6 Private Sector and NGOs Hazard Mitigation Planning .....................................................144 8.0 – Prioritization of Mitigation Actions ....................................................................................145 8.1 Municipal Priorities ...........................................................................................................145 8.2 State Agencies ....................................................................................................................146 9.0 – Plan Evaluation and Maintenance (Out of Scope for 2018 Update) ...................................148 9.1 Review of 2010 SSMP Maintenance Plan .........................................................................148 9.2 Monitoring, Evaluating, and Updating the Plan ................................................................150 9.3 Monitoring and Evaluating Mitigation Actions .................................................................150 9.4 Tracking Progress for Mitigation Goals and Objectives ....................................................150 9.5 Updating the 2014 SSMP...................................................................................................151