Hazard Mitigation Plan Logan County, Arkansas 2015 County Line School District • Booneville School District • Paris School District • Magazine School District Scranton School District • Caulksville • Ratcliff • Morrison Bluff • Paris Blue Mountain • Magazine • Booneville • Subiaco • Scranton Hazard Mitigation Plan Logan County, Arkansas 2015 Prepared for: Logan County 205 East Maple Paris, AR 72855 In collaboration with: County Line School District, Booneville School District, Paris School District, Magazine School District, Scranton School District, Caulksville, Ratcliff, Morrison Bluff, Paris, Blue Mountain, Magazine, Booneville, Subiaco, and Scranton Prepared by: Lincoln Walther Consulting, LLC 7897 Jack James Drive, Suite A Stuart, FL 34997 In association with CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. 8502 SW Kansas Avenue Stuart, FL 34997 Cover image: Logan County Emergency Management Office TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Section 1 Prerequisites ..................................................................................................................... 1-1 Section 2 Planning Process and Plan Maintenance .......................................................................... 2-1 Section 3 Risk Assessment .............................................................................................................. 3-1 Section 4 Mitigation Strategy .......................................................................................................... 4-1 Section 5 References ........................................................................................................................ 5-1 Appendices: Appendix I Adoption Resolutions ...................................................................................................AI-1 Appendix II Meeting Agendas and Meeting Sign-In Sheets ........................................................... AII-1 Appendix III Screenshot of Ready Logan County website .............................................................. AIII-1 Appendix IV Annual Progress Reports ............................................................................................AIV-1 Appendix V Map Products ............................................................................................................... AV-1 Appendix VI Glossary ......................................................................................................................AVI-1 - ii - LOGAN COUNTY HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN Section 1 PREREQUISITES Requirement § 201.6(c)(5): Documentation that the plan has been formally adopted by the governing body of the jurisdiction requesting approval of the plan (e.g., City Council, County Commissioner, Tribal Council). Requirement § 201.6(c)(5): For multi-jurisdictional plans, each jurisdiction requesting approval of the plan must document that it has been formally adopted. Requirement §201.6(a)(3): Multi-jurisdictional plans (e.g., watershed plans) may be accepted, as appropriate, as long as each jurisdiction has participated in the process … Statewide plans will not be accepted as multi-jurisdictional plans. Table of Contents Page 1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................................. 1-2 2 ADOPTION PROCESS ..................................................................................................................... 1-4 2.1 Responsibilities .......................................................................................................................... 1-4 2.2 Adoption Resolution .................................................................................................................. 1-5 3 COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................ 1-7 3.1 Physiography Climate, and Geology.......................................................................................... 1-7 3.2 Population and Demographics ................................................................................................. 1-10 1-1 LOGAN COUNTY HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN Section 1 PREREQUISITES 1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs) form the foundation for a The following definitions of Hazard community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and Mitigation Planning are provided by break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated FEMA: damage. The planning process is as important as the HMP itself. It creates a framework for risk-based decision making to reduce HAZARD MITIGATION – Any damages to lives, property, and the economy from future disasters. sustained action taken to reduce or Hazard mitigation is defined as a sustained action taken to reduce eliminate the long-term risk to human or eliminate long-term risk to people and their property from life and property from hazards. hazards. PLANNING – The act or process of In the past, federal legislation has provided funding for disaster making or carrying out plans; relief, recovery, and some hazard mitigation planning. The specifically, the establishment of Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) is the latest goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit. legislation to improve this planning process. DMA 2000 amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance PREPAREDNESS – Actions that Act by repealing the previous Mitigation Planning Section (409) strengthen the capability of and replacing it with a new Mitigation Planning Section (322). government, citizens, and This new section emphasizes the need for State, Tribal, and local communities to respond to disasters. entities to closely coordinate mitigation planning and implementation efforts. The new legislation reinforces the importance of mitigation planning and emphasizes planning for disasters before they occur. As such, this Act establishes a pre-disaster hazard mitigation program and new requirements for the national post-disaster Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). It also requires that communities have a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved HMP in order to receive Stafford Act assistance, excluding assistance provided pursuant to emergency provisions. The overarching goal of the Update is to minimize or eliminate long-term risks to human life and property from known hazards by identifying and implementing cost effective mitigation actions. The purpose of the Update is twofold: to protect people and structures, and to minimize the costs of disaster response and recovery. Through this update process, the County and its partners seek to: Provide a comprehensive update to the 2006 HMP; Minimize disruption to Logan County and its participating municipalities, school districts, and the business community following a disaster; Streamline disaster recovery by articulating actions to be taken before a disaster strikes to reduce or eliminate future damage; Demonstrate a firm local commitment to hazard mitigation principles; Provide a framework and coordination to encourage all levels of government and public and private organizations to undertake mitigation to minimize potential disasters and to employ mitigation in the recovery following disasters; Improve data collection, use, and sharing; Facilitate sound development throughout Logan County to reduce or eliminate hazard risk; Enhance public awareness and understanding of hazard mitigation; Identify and pursue grant opportunities to fund hazard mitigation actions and projects; Serve as a basis for future funding that may become available through grant and technical assistance programs offered by the State or Federal government. The Plan Update will enable the county and its partners to take advantage of rapidly developing mitigation grant opportunities as they arise; and 1-2 LOGAN COUNTY HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN Section 1 PREREQUISITES Ensure that Logan County and its partners maintain its eligibility for the full range of future Federal disaster relief. The 2014 HMP Update was a complete rewrite of the 2006 Logan County HMP. A rewrite of the HMP allowed for all the new FEMA requirements to be incorporated and ensure greater multi-jurisdictional coordination for mitigation planning efforts. The 2014 HMP Update was developed to assess the ongoing natural and man-made hazard mitigation activities in Logan County, to evaluate additional mitigation actions and projects, and to outline a strategy for better implementation of mitigation actions and projects over the next five years. Formal adoption and implementation of the HMP will provide many benefits to Logan County, its residents, and the business community. By identifying potential hazard risks and associated hazard mitigation actions in advance of a disaster, Logan County and participating jurisdictions will be in a more advantageous position to obtain pre- and post-disaster funding. Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants such as, HMGP, Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant (PDM), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program, each require the jurisdiction applying for the grant to have an adopted HMP. In addition, the HMP can provide local governments participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) an opportunity to reduce NFIP premium by voluntarily participating in the Community Rating System (CRS) program. Premiums can be reduced up to 45%. Through actively maintaining and updating the HMP, Logan County and participating jurisdictions will reduce their vulnerability to hazards in the future and better allocate resources