Wakulla County Draft Local Mitigation Strategy 2021 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 4 Chapter 1: The Planning Process ............................................................................................ 5 1.1 Origins of the Wakulla County Local Mitigation Strategy ............................................... 5 1.2 Current Update and Plan Adoption ................................................................................ 5 1.3 Opportunity for Public Involvement ............................................................................... 6 1.4 Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group Membership ................................................ 6 1.5 Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group Meetings ...................................................... 7 1.6 Supporting Information .................................................................................................. 8 1.9 Review and Updates to Section 1 ................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2: Risk Assessment and Vulnerability Analysis ....................................................... 12 2.1 Wakulla County Profile ................................................................................................. 12 2.2 Land Uses and Future Development Trends................................................................. 14 2.3 Hazard Identification..................................................................................................... 16 2.4 Vulnerability Analysis .................................................................................................... 18 2.5 Hurricanes and Tropical Storms /Coastal Storm Surge ................................................ 19 2.6 Tornadoes ..................................................................................................................... 30 2.7 Thunderstorms .............................................................................................................. 34 2.8 Wildfires ........................................................................................................................ 42 2.9 Floods ............................................................................................................................ 48 2.10 Coastal Erosion .............................................................................................................. 55 2.11 Dam Failure ................................................................................................................... 58 2.13 Terrorism ....................................................................................................................... 65 2.14 Sinkholes ....................................................................................................................... 66 2.15 Infectious Disease/Pandemic ........................................................................................ 72 2.16 Summary of Hazard Profiles ......................................................................................... 73 2.17 Review and Updates to Chapter 2 ................................................................................ 76 Chapter 3: Mitigation Strategy .......................................................................................... 77 3.1 Mitigation Blueprint ...................................................................................................... 77 3.2 NFIP Loss Statistics ........................................................................................................ 78 3.3 Community Rating System Planning Requirements ..................................................... 80 3.4 Description of the Planning Process ............................................................................. 80 3.5 Mitigation Goals and Objectives ................................................................................... 81 3.6 Mitigation Projects List ................................................................................................. 83 3.7 Action Plan for Mitigation Projects List ........................................................................ 84 3.8 Funding Sources ............................................................................................................ 84 3.9 Monitoring, Evaluating, Maintaining and Updating the LMS ....................................... 86 3.10 Incorporation with Other Planning Mechanisms ......................................................... 87 3.11 Continued Public Participation ..................................................................................... 88 3.12 Review and Update of Chapter 3 .................................................................................. 89 2 Appendices Appendix 1: Jurisdiction Adoption Notices............................................................................. 91 Appendix 2: Public Notices and Meeting Minutes ................................................................. 92 Appendix 3: Critical Facilities List ........................................................................................ 111 Appendix 4: U.S. Census Statistics ...................................................................................... 115 Appendix 5: 2016 – 2021 Fire Incidents Wakulla County ............. .........................................117 Appendix 6: STAPLEE Ranking of Project List ....................................................................... 118 Appendix 7: Wakulla County Project List with Action Plans ........ .............................................119 Appendix 8: 2021 Projects Completed or Deleted ....................... ........................................127 Appendix 9: County and Municipal Policies and Objectives Supporting Guiding Principles ... 128 St. Marks – Existing Mitigation Policies in St. Marks COMP .................................................. 130 City of Sopchoppy Code of Ordinances – Land Development Code ....................................132 3 Acknowledgements The 2021 update of the Wakulla County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) was developed under the authority and support of the Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners and the cities of Sopchoppy and St. Marks. The Wakulla County LMS update was updated in conjunction with the Wakulla County LMS Working Group and other interested parties and was prepared by the Apalachee Regional Planning Council. The Wakulla County LMS is available for public review at the Wakulla County Planning Department’s website: https://www.mywakulla.com/departments/planning_and_community_development/ departments/planning_and_zoning/document_center.php 4 Chapter 1: The Planning Process 1.1 Origins of the Wakulla County Local Mitigation Strategy The passage of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K) was a watershed mark in the history of mitigation planning and implementation. Often referred to as the “cornerstone of emergency management”, mitigation efforts were often relegated to only the most progressive of emergency management agencies that understood the financial, social, and political impacts of implementing a strong mitigation program. DMA2K changed this by emphasizing the importance of pre-disaster mitigation planning and established certain incentives for communities to undertake effective and meaningful mitigation planning. Based on the lessons learned from destructive natural disasters that occurred in the mid to late 1990’s, Congress passed the DMA2K and amended the Robert T. Stafford Act by Public Law 106- 390. The law includes many provisions for the entire life cycle of a major disaster, addressed issues such as streamlining the Public Assistance Program and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, strengthened the development of local mitigation strategies or plans, and created a provision for states and local communities to develop “enhanced” mitigation plans that would allow certain delegations of authority to states to manage the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The Wakulla County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is a comprehensive plan that identifies potential hazards that the county is vulnerable to and provides strategies for reducing that vulnerability. This strategy enables county and municipal officials, the business community, and local citizens to reduce risks and costs by including mitigation as a part of everyday planning, rather than limiting it to the measures taken after a Presidential Disaster Declaration. The Wakulla County LMS covers the jurisdictions of Wakulla County (unincorporated), City of Sopchoppy, the City of St. Marks and the special jurisdiction of the Talquin Electric Co-Operative. These jurisdictions worked together to complete the update of the 2020 Wakulla County LMS and the strategy reflects changes in development patterns. The Future Land Use Map (FLUM) is incorporated into the LMS to demonstrate where future development and growth is expected. 1.2 Current Update and Plan Adoption Every five years the LMS must be reviewed and updated to include the most current data and historical events for the County. To meet this requirement, the process of reviewing, revising, and updating the Wakulla County LMS began in March 2020. The Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) was retained to assist with the 5-year mandated update. ARPC staff worked with the Wakulla County LMS Working Group which is comprised