2015 Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam, and Stark Counties Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Prepared by: North Central Illinois Council of Governments Ottawa, Illinois 2015 Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam, and Stark Counties Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Prepared by: North Central Illinois Council of Governments 613 West Marquette Street Ottawa, Illinois 61350 www.ncicg.org August 2015 NCICG Planning Team Nora Fesco, Executive Director Kevin Lindeman, Economic Development District Director Benjamin Wilson, Community Development Director Kendall Cramer, Community Development Coordinator Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... ES-1 – ES5 Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1-1 Background ............................................................................................................................................ 1-1 County Demographics .......................................................................................................................... 1-5 Participating Communities and Local Match ........................................................................................ 1-6 Planning Process ................................................................................................................................... 1-7 Public Participation ............................................................................................................................... 1-8 Mitigation Team ..................................................................................................................................... 1-9 Community Risk Assessments ............................................................................................................ 1-10 Mitigation Strategies and Priority ....................................................................................................... 1-10 Plan Management ................................................................................................................................ 1-12 Climate Change ................................................................................................................................... 1-12 Building Resilience ............................................................................................................................. 1-13 National Disaster Resiliency Competition ................................................................................. 1-13 Detailed Multi-Hazard Resilience Plans ....................................................................... 1-14 Regional Scaling and Replicability ............................................................................... 1-16 Regional Resilience Framework ................................................................................... 1-16 References ........................................................................................................................................... 1-17 Chapter 2: Hazard Profiles .................................................................................................................... 2-1 Thunderstorms ...................................................................................................................................... 2-1 Lightning ....................................................................................................................................... 2-3 Hail ............................................................................................................................................... 2-4 Tornadoes ...................................................................................................................................... 2-5 Dangerous Winds ....................................................................................................................... 2-11 Heavy Rain and Flooding ................................................................................................................... 2-11 Riverine Flooding ....................................................................................................................... 2-12 Overbank Flooding ........................................................................................................ 2-12 Flash Flooding ............................................................................................................... 2-14 Levee and Dam Failures ................................................................................................ 2-14 Ice Jams.......................................................................................................................... 2-14 Urban Drainage .................................................................................................................................... 2-15 Basement Flooding and Backups ................................................................................................ 2-16 Agricultural Drainage ......................................................................................................................... 2-16 i Flood Designations .............................................................................................................................. 2-17 Flooding Fatalities ............................................................................................................................... 2-18 Winter Storm Events ............................................................................................................................ 2-19 Drought ............................................................................................................................................... 2-23 Extreme Temperatures (Heat and Cold) ............................................................................................. 2-26 Landslides ........................................................................................................................................... 2-30 Wildfires ............................................................................................................................................. 2-31 Earthquakes ......................................................................................................................................... 2-32 Natural Hazard Risk Levels ................................................................................................................ 2-36 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 2-38 References ........................................................................................................................................... 2-38 Chapter 3: Vulnerability Assessment .................................................................................................... 3-1 Properties .............................................................................................................................................. 3-1 Floods .................................................................................................................................................... 3-4 Repetitive Loss Properties .................................................................................................................... 3-6 Local Drainage Problems ...................................................................................................................... 3-8 Thunderstorms ...................................................................................................................................... 3-9 Lightning ............................................................................................................................................... 3-9 Hail ...................................................................................................................................................... 3-10 Tornadoes ............................................................................................................................................ 3-10 Winter Storms and Extreme Cold ....................................................................................................... 3-11 Drought and Extreme Heat ................................................................................................................. 3-13 Earthquakes ......................................................................................................................................... 3-14 Local Area Assessment ........................................................................................................................ 3-15 References ............................................................................................................................................ 3-16 Chapter 4: Preventive Measures ........................................................................................................... 4-1 Building Codes ....................................................................................................................................... 4-1 Manufactured Housing Regulations ...................................................................................................... 4-4 Land Use Planning, Zoning, and Subdivision