LINCOLN COUNTY ALL HAZARD August 2012 MITIGATION PLAN THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Lincoln County, New Mexico ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN August 2012 Prepared for: Lincoln County Mitigation Planning Group Office of Emergency Services Assisted by: Lincoln County, New Mexico All Hazard Mitigation Plan 0. Introductory Material THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Lincoln County, New Mexico All Hazard Mitigation Plan 0. Introductory Material Introduction Across the United States, natural disasters have led to mounting levels of casualties, injury, property damage, and disruption of business and government services. The effect on families and individuals can be enormous and damaged businesses cannot contribute to the economy. The time, money and effort in responding to and recovering from these events redirect public resources and attention from other important programs and problems. For Lincoln County, this experience is recent and directly felt through major events such as the flooding in the Rio Ruidoso Valley of July, 2008. During the summer months of July and August, smaller events led to more commonplace disruptions such as flooding of bridges and roadways challenging access to those homes and businesses in the Village of Ruidoso and beyond these impasses. Some events, such as droughts and heat waves present more subtle indirect impacts to the communities of Lincoln County. The elected and appointed officials of Lincoln County know that mitigation actions in the form of projects and programs can become long-term, cost effective means for reducing the effects of natural hazards. The goal of mitigation is to save lives, reduce injuries, property damage and recovery times. Mitigation can reduce the enormous cost of disasters to property owners and all levels of government. In addition, mitigation can protect critical facilities, reduce exposure to liability and minimize community disruption. Preparedness, response, and recovery measures support the concept of mitigation and may directly support identified mitigation actions. The Lincoln County Hazard Mitigation Plan utilizes a multi-agency planning process to identify hazards that can affect the county and to devise mitigation strategies to reduce or eliminate the effects of those hazards. It draws upon the State of New Mexico’s Hazard Mitigation Plan which provides guidance to local governments in preparing their own mitigation plans by prioritizing mitigation goals and objectives, proposing solutions to certain mitigation problems, and identifying possible funding sources for mitigation projects. This plan has been prepared in compliance with Section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), 42 U.S. C. 5165, enacted under Sec. 104 the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, (DMA2K) Public Law 106-390 of October 30, 2000. This plan identifies hazard mitigation measures intended to eliminate or reduce the effects of future disasters throughout the county. DMA2K requires rigorous local and state mitigation planning as a condition of receiving grant funding for disaster recovery and mitigation. The plan was prepared by Ecology & Environment, Inc., of Baton Rouge, LA, for the version of the plan. This work was partially funded by FEMA. 1 Lincoln County, New Mexico All Hazard Mitigation Plan 0. Introductory Material This plan does not necessarily represent the views, policies, and procedures of FEMA, although all attempts have been made to comply with common mitigation policies, procedures, and methods employed throughout the country. Lincoln County will continue to comply with all applicable federal laws and statutes during the periods for which it receives grant funding, in compliance with 44 CFR 13.11(c), and will amend this plan whenever necessary to reflect changes in state or federal laws and statutes as required in 44 CFR 13.11(d). It is important to note that this document is designed as an instrument of mitigation primarily for natural and man-made disasters. 2 Lincoln County, New Mexico All Hazard Mitigation Plan 0. Introductory Material Table of Contents Section Page Introduction ........................................................................ 1 Adopting Resolution ......................................................... v Distribution List ............................................................... vii 1 County Profile ................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Location and Geography ....................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Climate .................................................................................................. 1-2 1.3 Economy ............................................................................................... 1-2 1.4 Demographic Features .......................................................................... 1-5 1.5 Utilities and Infrastructure .................................................................... 1-5 1.6 Agriculture ............................................................................................ 1-6 2 Mitigation Planning Process .......................................... 2-1 2.1 Plan Authorities .................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Federal Mitigation Planning Requirements .............................. 2-1 2.1.2 State Hazard Mitigation Plan .................................................... 2-1 2.2 Mitigation Planning Overview .............................................................. 2-2 2.3 Local Mitigation Plan Criteria .............................................................. 2-2 2.3.1 Prerequisites .............................................................................. 2-3 2.4 Local Planning Process ......................................................................... 2-3 2.4.1 Mitigation Planning Participants............................................... 2-4 2.4.2 Planning Meetings .................................................................... 2-6 2.4.3 Planning Process and Funding Initiatives ................................. 2-7 2.5 Public Involvement ............................................................................... 2-9 2.5.1 Public Involvement ................................................................... 2-9 2.6 Review and Incorporation of Existing Plans, Studies, Reports and Working Groups.................................................................................. 2-10 2.6.1 Existing Planning Document Review ..................................... 2-10 2.6.2 Local Planning Workgroup Review........................................ 2-11 2.6.3 Other Local Planning Mechanisms ......................................... 2-11 3 Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis ....................... 3-1 3.1 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Overview ......................... 3-1 3.2 Hazard Analysis .................................................................................... 3-2 3.2.1 Hazard Identification ................................................................ 3-2 i Lincoln County, New Mexico All Hazard Mitigation Plan 0. Introductory Material 3.2.2 Hazard Summary ...................................................................... 3-5 3.2.2.1 Previous Occurrences................................................. 3-5 3.2.2.2 Probability of Occurrence .......................................... 3-6 3.2.2.3 Potential Impacts ........................................................ 3-8 3.2.3 Hazard Profiles.......................................................................... 3-9 3.2.3.1 Wildfire ...................................................................... 3-9 3.2.3.2 Floods ....................................................................... 3-23 3.2.3.3 Drought .................................................................... 3-32 3.2.3.4 Severe Weather ........................................................ 3-36 3.2.3.5 Dam Failure ............................................................. 3-48 3.2.3.6 Earthquakes .............................................................. 3-52 3.2.3.7 Tornadoes ................................................................. 3-58 3.2.3.8 Hazardous Materials ................................................ 3-63 3.2.3.9 Extreme Heat ........................................................... 3-64 4 Vulnerability Analysis .................................................... 4-1 4.1 Identification of Assets ......................................................................... 4-1 4.2 Socioeconomic Assets .......................................................................... 4-2 4.2.1 Population Characteristics ........................................................ 4-2 4.2.2 Socioeconomic Vulnerability.................................................... 4-2 4.3 Physical Environment Assets ................................................................ 4-3 4.3.1 Vulnerabilities of the Built Environment .................................. 4-4 4.3.2 Effect of Growth and Development on Vulnerability............... 4-5 4.4 Critical Facilities ................................................................................... 4-6 4.5 Public Sector-Owned or Operated Critical Facilities............................ 4-7 4.6 Methodology ......................................................................................... 4-7 4.7 Facility Vulnerability Summary ..........................................................