Fresno County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Review Draft / April 2018 Fresno County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Review Draft / April 2018 Cover Photo Credits: Lake of the Lone Indian, The Armchair Explorer, www.thearmchairexplorer.com/california/sierra-national-forest San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Lands, Limoneira buys 757 acres of orchards in San Joaquin Valley, Staff Report, Thursday, December 3, 2015, https://www.pacbiztimes.com/2015/12/03/limoneira-buys-757- acres-of-orchards-in-san-joaquin-valley/ Clovis Flooding, ABC 30 News, http://abc30.com/news/map-widespread-flooding-reported-on-the-east-side-of-fresno-and-clovis/1699471 Wildfire, Sierra News Online, https://sierranewsonline.com/wildfire-in-fresno-county-prompts-health-caution/ Fresno County Line, Geocaching, https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC22X5Q_fresno-monterey-co-line-priest-valley-quadrangle?guid=9bc54552-7fc5-48ac-ad4a-23e5851c90b9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of hazard mitigation is to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from hazards. Fresno County and the other participating jurisdictions developed this multi-hazard mitigation plan to make the County and its residents less vulnerable to future hazard events. This plan was prepared pursuant to the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 so that Fresno County would be eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants, including Pre-Disaster Mitigation and Hazard Mitigation Grant programs as well as lower flood insurance premiums (in jurisdictions that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System). The plan was originally developed in 2007-2008 and FEMA approved in 2009. The plan was comprehensively updated in 2017-2018. The County followed a planning process in alignment with FEMA guidance during its original development and update, which began with the formation of a hazard mitigation planning committee (HMPC) comprised of key county, city, and district representatives and other stakeholders. The HMPC conducted a risk assessment that identified and profiled hazards that pose a risk to Fresno County, assessed the County’s vulnerability to these hazards, and examined the capabilities in place to mitigate them. The County is vulnerable to several hazards that are identified, profiled, and analyzed in this plan. Floods, wildfires, severe weather, drought, and agricultural hazards are among the hazards that can have a significant impact on the County. Based on the risk assessment, the HMPC identified goals and objectives for reducing the County’s vulnerability to hazards. To meet identified goals and objectives, the plan recommends a number of mitigation actions that include actions specific to each participating jurisdiction. This plan has been formally adopted by the County and the participating jurisdictions and will be updated every five years at a minimum. Fresno County DRAFT i Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapters 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1.1 1.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................................ 1.1 1.2 Background and Scope ....................................................................................................................................... 1.1 1.3 Plan Organization ............................................................................................................................................... 1.3 1.3.1 Jurisdictional Annexes ................................................................................................................................ 1.3 2 Community Profile ...................................................................................................... 2.1 2.1 History ................................................................................................................................................................. 2.1 2.2 Geography and Climate ..................................................................................................................................... 2.2 2.3 Economy .............................................................................................................................................................. 2.2 2.4 Population ........................................................................................................................................................... 2.6 2.5 Development Trends ........................................................................................................................................... 2.7 3 Planning Process .......................................................................................................... 3.1 3.1 Background on Mitigation Planning in Fresno County .................................................................................. 3.1 3.2 What’s New in the Plan Update......................................................................................................................... 3.1 3.3 Local Government Participation ....................................................................................................................... 3.4 3.4 The 10-Step Planning Process ............................................................................................................................ 3.6 3.4.1 Phase 1: Organize Resources ...................................................................................................................... 3.7 3.4.2 Phase 2: Assess Risks ............................................................................................................................... 3.17 3.4.3 Phase 3: Develop the Mitigation Plan ...................................................................................................... 3.18 3.4.4 Phase 4: Implement the Plan and Monitor Progress ................................................................................. 3.19 4 Risk Assessment ........................................................................................................... 4.1 4.1 Hazard Identification: Natural Hazards .......................................................................................................... 4.2 4.1.1 Methodology and Results ........................................................................................................................... 4.2 4.1.2 Disaster Declaration History ...................................................................................................................... 4.5 4.2 Hazard Profiles ................................................................................................................................................... 4.8 4.2.1 Agricultural Hazards ................................................................................................................................ 4.10 4.2.2 Avalanche ................................................................................................................................................. 4.15 4.2.3 Dam Failure .............................................................................................................................................. 4.16 4.2.4 Drought ..................................................................................................................................................... 4.23 4.2.5 Earthquake ................................................................................................................................................ 4.34 4.2.6 Flood ......................................................................................................................................................... 4.50 4.2.7 Human Health Hazards: Epidemic/Pandemic ........................................................................................... 4.79 4.2.8 Human Health Hazards: West Nile Virus ................................................................................................. 4.81 4.2.9 Landslide .................................................................................................................................................. 4.85 4.2.10 Soil Hazards............................................................................................................................................ 4.89 4.2.11 Soil Hazards: Expansive Soils ................................................................................................................ 4.96 4.2.12 Soil Hazards: Land Subsidence .............................................................................................................. 4.99 4.2.13 Severe Weather: General ...................................................................................................................... 4.103 4.2.14 Severe Weather: Extreme Temperatures .............................................................................................. 4.106 4.2.15 Severe Weather: Fog ............................................................................................................................ 4.114 4.2.16 Severe Weather: Heavy Rain/Thunderstorm/Hail/Lightning/Wind...................................................... 4.118 4.2.17 Severe Weather: Winter Storm ............................................................................................................