City of Montpelier Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2021 City of Montpelier Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Adopted ___-Approved____ Prepared by the City of Montpelier and the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission Page 1 of 95 City of Montpelier Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2021 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4 2. Purpose .............................................................................................................................. 5 3. Community Profile ............................................................................................................ 6 3.1 Environment.................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Development Patterns ................................................................................................... 6 3.3 Utilities and Facilities ..................................................................................................... 7 3.4 Public Safety ................................................................................................................... 7 3.5 Municipal Plan ................................................................................................................ 7 3.6 National Flood Insurance Program ............................................................................. 8 3.7 Emergency Relief & Assistance Funding (ERAF) ........................................................ 9 4. Planning Process and Maintenance ............................................................................. 10 4.1 Planning Process .......................................................................................................... 10 4.2 Existing Mitigation, Maintenance, and Preparedness Programs, Projects & Activities ................................................................................................................................... 14 4.3 Plan Maintenance ........................................................................................................ 18 4.4 Status of Prior Plan’s Mitigation Actions .................................................................. 19 5. Community Vulnerability by Hazard ............................................................................ 20 5.1 Hazard Identification and Analysis ............................................................................ 20 6. Threat Hazards ................................................................................................................ 24 6.1 Fluvial Erosion/Inundation Flooding ...................................................................... 24 6.2 Severe Winter Storms (Snow, Ice) .......................................................................... 37 6.3 Extreme Cold ............................................................................................................. 43 6.4 Pandemic ................................................................................................................... 47 6.5 Dam Failure ............................................................................................................... 54 6.6 Water Supply Contamination ................................................................................. 57 6.7 Hazardous Materials (fixed & transport) ............................................................... 59 6.8 Cyber Disruption ...................................................................................................... 68 7. Mitigation ........................................................................................................................ 70 7.1 Master Plan Goals that Support Local Hazard Mitigation ...................................... 70 Page 2 of 95 City of Montpelier Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2021 7.2 Identified Hazard Mitigation Programs, Projects & Activities ............................... 71 8. Attachments .................................................................................................................... 76 Draft Template to Evaluate Effectiveness of LHMP at Achieving Purpose & Goals ...... 77 2021 Areas of Local Concern ................................................................................................ 78 Montpelier River Corridor Map ................................................................................................ 79 Montpelier Historic District & Special Flood Hazard Area Map ...................................... 80 Stormwater Master Plan priority projects ........................................................................... 81 Dot Poster ................................................................................................................................ 82 Hazard Analysis Survey Questions & Results ..................................................................... 83 5-Year Plan Review/Maintenance Process .......................................................................... 95 Page 3 of 95 City of Montpelier Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2021 1. Introduction In accordance with the Stafford Act, municipalities may perform mitigation planning and be eligible to receive increased federal funding for hazard mitigation measures (42 U.S.C. 5165). The impact of expected, but unpredictable natural and human-caused events can be reduced through community planning. The goal of this Plan is to provide an all-hazards local mitigation strategy that makes the community of Montpelier more disaster resistant. Hazard mitigation is any sustained action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from natural and human-caused hazards and their effects. Based on the results of previous Project Impact1 efforts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and State agencies have come to recognize that it is less expensive to prevent disasters than to repeatedly repair damage after a disaster has struck. This Plan recognizes that communities have opportunities to identify mitigation strategies and measures during all of the other phases of emergency management – preparedness, response, and recovery. Hazards cannot be eliminated, but it is possible to determine what the hazards are, where the hazards are most severe and identify local actions that can be taken to reduce the severity of the hazard. Hazard mitigation strategies and measures: ALTER the hazard by eliminating or reducing the frequency of occurrence, AVERT the hazard by redirecting the impact by means of a structure or land treatment, ADAPT to the hazard by modifying structures or standards, or AVOID the hazard by preventing or limiting development. 1 Project Impact was a national initiative started by the Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA) in 1997 to help build disaster resistant communities. This federal initiative shifted the focus of emergency management from responding to disasters to helping to prevent potential damage by taking actions beforehand. Page 4 of 95 City of Montpelier Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2021 2. Purpose The purpose of this Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is to assist the City of Montpelier in recognizing hazards facing the region and their community and identify strategies to begin reducing risks from acknowledged hazards. The 2021 Montpelier Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is an update of the City’s adopted 2015 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan approved by FEMA on April 15, 2015. This Local Hazard Mitigation Plan assists the City to catalogue hazards facing the region and community, and to identify strategies that reduce risks from acknowledged hazards based on current information. The City reviewed, evaluated, and revised the 2015 plan to reflect changes in development, progress in local mitigation efforts, and changes in priorities. New information has been incorporated into the plan, making it up to date, stronger, and more useful to City officials and residents who will implement the actions and measures going forward. Implementation of this plan will make Montpelier more resistant to harm and damages in the future, and will help to reduce public costs. Montpelier strives to address the strategies, goals and objectives of the 2018 State Hazard Mitigation Plan, including an emphasis on proactive pre-disaster flood mitigation for public infrastructure, appropriate floodplain and river management practices, and fluvial erosion risk assessment initiatives. The 2021 plan consists of the modified, as described below, sections of the existing plan, which have been reorganized, and new sections: • Information from the 2015 plan was updated. • Hazards reflecting the community’s priorities were updated. • The Plan Update Process was updated. • Plan Maintenance activities were updated. • The Hazard Analysis Map was updated to reflect current information. • The status of 2015 mitigation strategies was reviewed and documented. • The new mitigation strategies section was updated and enhanced to reflect current priorities and intended actions of the community over the next five years. The long term and overall goal of this plan is to protect life and property from harm/damages caused by natural and man-made disasters. Page 5 of 95 City of Montpelier Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan May 2021 3. Community Profile 3.1 Environment The City of Montpelier, Vermont’s State Capital, is located at the geographic center of