HAZARD AND VULNERABILITY MITIGATION

Hazard and vulnerability mitigation can be an all encompassing program that can be complex or it can be resolved to do only those things necessary, practical or cost effective to accomplish. Reduction or elimination of a threat or the potential damages and loss of life from a catastrophic incident is the main goal of hazard mitigation. Hazard and vulnerability mitigation is not just a government function. It involves government certainly, but both the public and private sector must work together to reduce risks for the good of the community.

Mitigation can be in the form of legal measures, new building codes and construction techniques or simply restricting parking near critical facilities. Details of recommendations and objectives are found in later documents.

Alexander County has a total population estimated at 34,867, with a per capita income of $23,738. The economic impact potential alone from a single county wide disaster would likely devastate the local economy. The ability of inadequately insured residents to purchase replacement housing would be diminished considerably due to the low per capita income.

Alexander County and the Town of Taylorsville have considered numerous issues, including those mentioned above. Considerable research has been conducted regarding previous history and the previous vulnerability to hazards. The frequency that major disasters or events occur is listed in the Hazard Rating chart. A ten year period from 1992 until 2002 was selected to research and examine the hazards included in this plan (except a fifty year history was examined for tornados). This ten year period was chosen because of the availability of complete data, rather than the data from previous decades, which was found to be incomplete and often inaccurate for application to the county and the town. A complete community profile is found in Chapter 1 of the Alexander County Land Use Plan.

Each jurisdiction agreed that it was important to have a multi-jurisdictional plan and that it be coordinated. Interviews with local county and municipal officials are used to identify existing capabilities. Interviews are helpful developing the critical professional relationship needed to build a mitigation network. These personal interviews also allow in-depth questioning when a particular question or response prompts additional issues. Where interviews are not possible, survey questionnaires can be used to obtain data regarding each department’s specific programs and authorities. These surveys, like the interviews, seek information from appropriate representatives about their department’s day-to-day and emergency programs. In addition, questionnaires allow respondents the opportunity to make recommendations for improvement in their own agencies and in others where it might not otherwise be welcomed. This data provides a valid starting point for gathering information for the vulnerability assessment.

Following the recommendations of the Division of Emergency Management (NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , Alexander County has taken the necessary action and determined its capability to develop an exemplary hazard mitigation plan. The Capability Assessment for Alexander County included the following categories:

Similar techniques are used in data collection. The information gathered will assist in making suggestions for suitable mitigation opportunities.

In addition to the items listed above, Alexander County also seeks to identify local policies or practices which may weaken existing mitigation efforts or even exacerbate risk.

The planning process includes meetings with a multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Task Force / LEPC where discussions regarding the hazards (based on the priority as outlined in the hazard matrix), are identified and rated. Current policy, county ordinance, building code, general statute or federal code will be examined for possible mitigation efforts for each hazard. Each hazard mitigation effort will also be assessed for the capability of the community to respond effectively as well as its potential for effective recovery. An assessment will then be made for mitigation potential from either legal or voluntary means or a combination of those means. Interim conclusions will then be drawn and recorded. From the interim conclusions, goals may be established which may include recommendations for policy, code or ordinance or outreach education programs to achieve those goals. Formal recommendations can then be made to appropriate officials for action. Implementation of the goals, policy, procedure, or ordinance of each hazard to be mitigated will be assigned to the appropriate department or agency for conclusion. The effectiveness will be monitored for a period of not more than one year and a report of the effectiveness will be forwarded to the Chair of the Hazard Mitigation Task force, as outlined below. Revisions, updates or modifications will then, if necessary, be made by the Emergency Management Coordinator as outlined in Coordination below.

Alexander County, and Taylorsville, following the intent of Senate Bill 300, and the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, have assessed their vulnerability to hazards.

Prior to beginning work on the plan, a “kick-off” meeting was held to describe the project approach, goals and objectives of the project, technical services available to the county and municipalities, specific projects and expectations of results. This meeting was held on May 1, 2003 at the Extension Learning Resource Center conference room in Taylorsville. The intent of this initial meeting was to enable all participating communities and County departments a chance to comment on the scope of the plan. Representatives of neighboring communities, state agencies, federal agencies, the public and other interested parties were invited to attend and have input into the Hazard Mitigation Plan. Alexander County intentionally placed public members on the Hazard Mitigation Task Force / LEPC so that public input would always be received. Alexander County went to great lengths to insure the public was informed of the planning process. A copy of the certification is contained in the Hazard Mitigation Plan. The first draft review was held beginning June 16, 2003 with members of the public, press and Hazard Mitigation Task Force / LEPC invited to review the draft. The first draft of the plan was made available via the internet, by the contractor, to each Hazard Mitigation Task Force / LEPC member, the press and members of the public. Direct contact with interested persons to notify them of the availability of the draft, was made by Alexander County Emergency Management and the contractor. A second review was held when the final draft was completed and prior to its presentation for adoption. This review was held on July 29, 2003 at the Extension Learning Resource Center conference room in Taylorsville. This draft was sent to the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management on August 8, 2003 for review and comment.

Additional meetings were held as necessary and often on an individual department, agency or personal basis. Input was sought from state and federal mitigation planners as necessary or appropriate. A final draft was prepared and submitted to the Board of Commissioners and the Town Council for approval. The approved mitigation plan was then copied in both digital and paper formats and distributed to users, including the appropriate state and federal agencies.

A Hazard Mitigation Task Force / LEPC has been developed in Alexander County. Participants include, but are not limited to:

County Commission
County Manager
Emergency Services (EMS, Communications, Fire, Sheriff, Rescue)
Emergency Management
GIS/Mapping
Planning
Public Utilities (public member)
Social Services
Health Department
Sheriff
Frye Regional Medical Center - Alexander Campus (public member)
Shur-Tape Technology (public member)
Tax Assessors Office
School System
Town of Taylorsville
Taylorsville Chamber of Commerce (public member)
Western Piedmont Council of Governments (Regional government council)
NC Emergency Management (Area 11)
NC DOT (District 12)
NC State Highway Patrol (Troop F)

Whenever possible or practical, the public was notified and invited to participate in the planning process. This was conducted by advertising in a local newspaper the availability, at a public place or by internet, of the plan for inspection and comment by members of the public (see Alexander County Hazard Mitigation Certifications). An opportunity for comment was open for a period of not less than ten nor more than thirty days from the date of publication. When revisions to the plan are required, requested or recommended and these revisions are beyond the scope of administrative correction, drafts of those items to be included in the plan will be offered for public inspection and comment. This will be accomplished in the same manner as previously stated in this paragraph. Public comments on the plan will be accepted in the time period up until the governing body convenes to consider the plan or plan revisions for adoption.

In general, it is anticipated that any opposition to the final plan will be low given the history of the County with numerous severe weather and chemical events. It has been demonstrated in disaster planning literature that citizens place mitigation high on their agendas as much as a year and a half after the most recent events. Given that Alexander County has faced numerous disasters in a period of 15 years, most county residents understand the risk they face and favor a proactive approach.

Coordination shall be the responsibility of the Alexander County Office of Emergency Management. In this role, Emergency Management is responsible for organizing meetings and agendas, notification to the public, arranging technical assistance, gathering pertinent documents for distribution and compiling recommendations for the Task Force. The Emergency Manager serves as the Task Force Chair, unless it is determined that those duties need to be assumed by another member of the Task Force. The Emergency Manager will make the final presentation to the Board of Commissioners for adoption of the Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Town managers will be responsible for making presentations to their council or board. Where no Town manager is employed, the Emergency Management Coordinator shall make the formal presentation to the municipal council or board. It is the intent of Alexander County and the Town of Taylorsville to maintain this Task Force under the auspices of the Alexander County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).

The plan will be reviewed annually and it shall be the responsibility of the Mitigation Task Force Chair to conduct this review. Administrative changes, wording corrections, hazard analysis or other such portions of the Mitigation Plan, do not require additional action by the County Board of Commissioners or Town Council. However, changes that may have a significant impact or significant expenditure of non-budgeted funds, may require action by respective elected bodies. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the Mitigation Task Force Chair to render judgment whether the change or modification to the Mitigation Plan, will require such action. Whenever possible, changes will be made electronically. A signed and dated approval sheet shall accompany each printed copy of the plan. Computer versions of the plan will have only printed names and dates of the jurisdictions approving the plan. Resolutions of adoption will be kept on file with the County Clerk to the Board of Commissioners and the Taylorsville town clerk. At a minimum, the plan will be updated every five (5) years by the Hazard Mitigation Task Force / L.E.P.C., and or as required under 44CFR201.6(c)(4)(i). Plan updates will be submitted to the NC Hazard Mitigation Officer and FEMA for approval.

The public will be kept informed of proposed changes, modifications, reviews and updates to the plan by advertising that such updates, modifications and reviews are being considered. This advertisement shall be in the form of newspaper articles, legal notices (as required), radio and via internet. The public will be invited to participate in keeping with the open meetings laws of North Carolina. Public comments, suggestions, recommendations and other input will be received by the Alexander County Office of Emergency Management or during public meetings as local ordinance requires.

A variety of documents, including legal measures, have been examined and included in the overall mitigation plan. Where appropriate, the source of information has been cited. Among those referenced are:

Policies and Programs	Effectiveness for Mitigation (low, medium, high)
Land Development Plan	Medium
Subdivision Ordinance	Medium
Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance	High
Zoning Ordinance	Medium
Watershed Protection Ordinance	High
Fire Prevention Ordinance	High
NC Administrative Code (15A NCAC 02B.0243-0244)	Medium
Taylorsville Water Conservation Plan	Low

The above determined for effectiveness in mitigation were based upon discussions with local planners and legal counsel.

Data has been developed via information from the county and municipal Planning Departments and other organizations, including FEMA and the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. The jurisdictions jointly developed information regarding critical facilities. This information included the address, the general function, back-up power availability, and approximate square footage of the main facility as well as approximate replacement cost, including contents. Alexander County feels that with this data it can be better prepared to mitigate potential hazards that may affect some or all of the operations of government. Additional data was developed regarding hazards and placed into a hazard matrix that can quickly be examined regarding the potential of the hazard and the efforts that need to be put forward to address each hazard level (high, medium or low). Supporting information regarding these specific threats was also obtained from internet sources, the National Weather Service, Cooperative Extension Service, Forestry Service, Geological Survey, FEMA, NCDEM and others.

Vulnerability assessment and analysis was conducted with the best possible information available, using a number of sources for information such as HAZUS, NWS, Tornado Project and ChemInfo as well as NCDEM and DOT information. Legal, historical, planning and other data was obtained from Alexander County and Taylorsville Planning, as well as the North Carolina General Statues (NCGS), North Carolina Administrative Code and from the codifying agency for Alexander County and the municipality. Developing this information in a digital format was challenging but with assistance from the various departments including Administration, GIS/Mapping and Planning, it was carried out. Some legal data was retyped and or excerpted for sake of brevity or clarification. The entire mitigation plan was formatted into an interactive digital form by a private company (EPlan LLC) and numerous documents that accompany this plan were formatted to operate seamlessly in the plan. This development includes the ability to update the plan and to print copies of the plan or otherwise reproduce it as appropriate.

Additional data regarding recommendations for strengthening local law or local building practices have been developed as a part of this plan and upon approval of the Alexander County Board of Commissioners and Taylorsville will become an active part of this plan.

Alexander County and Taylorsville have examined their history and records. It was determined, based on this information that there are no known repetitive loss facilities or structures in the flood plain (100 and 500 year). There are no repetitive loss facilities or structures in other hazard areas identified in this plan.

Alexander County and the Town of Taylorsville, developed or had developed a number of other documents relative to county and town plans. These included development plans, growth plans and projections, demographics and more. Many of these documents are unique to the respective jurisdiction. These documents, either by reference or in their entirety have been included as part of this plan.

Need to modify current measures: (Alexander County) (Taylorsville)

Alexander County feels it has strong measures to help mitigate many hazards. Many of theses measures are found in local ordinance, North Carolina law or federal code or regulations. County ordinances have been examined in detail by the Hazard Mitigation Task Force / LEPC and the contractor and are found adequate regarding flood damage mitigation, especially the adoption of Alexander County Code Chapter 159. Building codes are rigidly enforced. "Hurricane strapping" has been found to be of minimal value in this region of the state when weighed against the expense and the added cost to new home construction and is not required by building code, nor recommended. Mitigation efforts such as this type of construction technique may be used on a voluntary basis.

There are no known hazardous chemical manufacturing facilities in Alexander County. A number of facilities (as listed in the Alexander County Emergency Operations Plan) are users of hazardous materials. Many facilities using or storing hazardous materials are required by the Superfund Authorization and Reauthorization Act (S.A.R.A) Title III to report quantities of such materials to state and local Emergency Management and the fire department of jurisdiction. Mitigation efforts have taken place for the past decade to (1) eliminate the use of such chemicals by the manufacturer or (2) encourage the manufacturer or user to implement chemical alternatives that are less injurious and more environmentally favorable. There is a need to closely monitor the importation of hazardous materials and their use. Planning is mandated for all extremely hazardous substances reported under Title III. This has been carried out and reviews are held annually, regarding the continued use of such products. Mitigation efforts continue routinely to address this important task of reducing the amount and type of chemicals being used or stored.

At this time, Alexander County does not have an immediate need to significantly alter current mitigation measures, however, Alexander County will continue its review of legal, regulatory or voluntary measures on an ongoing basis and modifications may be made accordingly. Changes to goals and objectives will be a coordinated effort and based on the planning process outline previously covered in this document. Recommendations for new goals and objectives are found in Mitigation Strategy.

Town of Taylorsville. The Town of Taylorsville has numerous strong mitigation measures in place and those have been incorporated into Current Mitigation Measures. Taylorsville has gone to great lengths to insure that it has quality hazard mitigation and has developed some initiatives that are unique to the Town as well as a joint mitigation strategy with the county, to develop and implement those initiatives. It has developed a water conservation management ordinance that is unique to the Town as well as an aggressive cooperation program with Duke Energy to insure losses of electric utilities are kept to a minimum.

Taylorsville participates with the county on many levels and one of those is the area of Emergency Management. The Emergency Management coordinator for the county also serves the Town. The Town has and continues to participate in exercises for preparedness and conduct mitigation measures unique to the Town.

Industries in the corporate limits of Taylorsville that use chemicals, requiring reporting under S.A.R.A. Title III, report this information to Alexander County Emergency Management and the Central Alexander/Taylorsville Fire Department. There are few facilities in Taylorsville that report as an EHS (extremely hazardous substances) facility. To date, only one facility is reported. This is listed in the Alexander County Emergency Plan and planning process, as required under Title III, is on file in the office of Emergency Management.

Taylorsville has no Special Flood Hazard Area. There are no steep slopes that have habitable structures, businesses or critical facilities as indicated by current topographical/soils maps, available from Alexander County GIS.

Taylorsville participated in the plan process through meetings with county officials, planners and the task force. Individual interviews with town agency personnel were also conducted. Town officials expressed no concern regarding hazards that had not already been identified and could not identify any concern that was unique to Taylorsville, other than the one extremely hazardous substance facility (Town of Taylorsville Water Treatment Plant) mentioned above. The town felt that mitigation measures proposed in this plan were more than adequate to address the needs of both the county and Taylorsville.

At this time Taylorsville feels that it does not have an immediate strong need to alter its mitigation measures, however, Taylorsville will continue its review of legal, regulatory or voluntary measures on an ongoing basis and modifications may be made accordingly. Updates in the plan, when made within the five year period, as required, will include any issues presented that are unique to Taylorsville. Changes to goals and objectives will be a coordinated effort and based on the planning process outline previously covered in this document. Taylorsville agrees with the recommendations for new goals and objectives that are found in Mitigation Strategy.