Gallatin County Emergency Management - Mitigation Plan Review

Mitigation Plan Review

Gallatin County, and all incorporated cities, are required to have a Federal Emergency Managemetn Agency (FEMA) approved Local Mitigation Plan in order to apply for and/ or receive grant funds under various federal grant programs (44 CFR §201.6). Local Mitigation Plans must be revised and updated every 5 years and re-approved by FEMA. Gallatin County's Hazard Mitigation Plan will expire on December 16, 2011. As such Gallatin County is in the process of the revision process.

The Process:

Hazard mitigation planning is the process of determining how to reduce or eliminate the loss of life and property damage resulting from natural and human-caused hazards. In this process participation from stakeholders and the community is imperative. In the review process we will essentially follow the same steps as if we were writing a new plan, but will be verifying and updating information.

Mitigation Steps courtesy of FEMA 386-1

Phase 1, Organize Resources:

In Phase 1 we will be setting up the review process. A large portion of this phase is notifying and ensuring that all parties with an interest have an oppoptunity to participate. Gallatin County's Mitigation Plan is considered a Multi-Jurisdictional Plan meaning that multiple entities may adopt the same plan (Gallatin County and the incorporated cities). To maintain elegibility to grant funding, all government entities wishing to adopt this plan must not only adopt it by resolution, but must have documented proof of participation in the review process. The public, neighboring communities, and affected agencies must also have the opportunity for participation and comment. With this, it is important that the process, deadlines, and meetings are very clear to ensure everyone's ability to participate.

We must also review and incorporate existing plans, studies, reports, and technical information consolidating efforts where possible. With this review Gallatin County is attempting to utilize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System crosswalk process. By utlizing the crosswalk, NFIP participating communities should be able to claim more points in the Community Rating System which may result in reduced flood insurance premiums in those communities.

Phase 2, Assess Risks:

In Phase 2 we will review our risk assessment. This is where we evaluate the risk presented to our community by different hazards. This is conducted primarily by historical knowlegde and records combined with computer analysis by the HAZUS-MH modeling software. HAZUS-MH is a software package provided by FEMA that provides risk and damage information based on local data. All of this information will be utilized to determine the frequency (how often) and risks (amount of damage/ injuries) of our known hazards. The following table shows our current risk assessment from the 2006 Gallatin County Mitigation Plan.

Hazard

Jurisdiction

How Identified

Why Identified

Avalanche and Landslide

· Gallatin County

· State DES Website

· Historical records from the Avalanche.org database

· Colorado Avalanche Information Center

· Montana Hazard/Vulnerability Analysis, 1989

· USGS National Landslide Study

· Montana Department of Transportation District 2 Priorities

· Public meeting input

· 2005 HAZUS Study

· Mountainous terrain exists that may be prone to avalanches and landslides

· The county has frequent avalanches involving the population

· Priority landslide areas exist along roadways in the county

· The county has areas of landslide incidences and susceptibility based on a USGS study

· 2005 HAZUS Study identified significant areas of landslide risk

Aviation Accident

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Research of NTSB database

· Public meeting input

· The county has three airports

· Long history of incidents, some with casualties

· Second busiest airport in the State located in Gallatin County

Communicable Disease and Bioterrorism

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website

· Public meeting input

· Local Health Department

· Large number of livestock areas

· History of an influenza outbreak during the 1910's

· The area is highly traveled by tourists

· Rapid disease spread potential through urban areas

Dam Failure

· Gallatin

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· National Inventory of Dams website

· Dam Emergency Action Plans

· Several high hazard dams and several significant hazard dams exist in the county

Drought

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Montana Drought Advisory Committee website

· National Drought Mitigation Center website

· Data from the Western Regional Climate Center

· State DES website

· NOAA Paleoclimatology Program website

· Public meeting input

· Frequent historical drought events

· USDA Disaster Declarations

· Relationship to wildfire danger

· Impact to agricultural community

· Impact on natural resources and tourism

Earthquake

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology publication and website

· USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project website

· University of Utah Seismograph Stations website

· USGS National Earthquake Information Center website

· 2005 HAZUS Study

· History of nearby earthquakes greater than 6.0 magnitude

· Proximity to the active geological region of Yellowstone National Gallatin

· 2005 HAZUS scenarios defined a significant hazard

Flooding

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· FEMA Flood Insurance Study and Rate Maps

· Gallatin County DES documents

· History of flooding

· Large areas of identified floodplain in developed areas

Ground Transportation Accident

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Public meeting input

· Subject matter expert input

· Fire department records

· Heavily traveled Interstate 90 and Highway 191 traverse the county

Hazardous Materials Release

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Gallatin County Hazardous Material Plan

· State of Montana Hazardous Materials Plan

· Public meeting input

· Fire department records

· Fixed facilities exist in the county that house hazardous materials

· Regular interstate, highway, and railroad traffic transport hazardous materials

· History of hazardous material releases

Railroad Accident

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Federal Railroad Administration database

· Public meeting input

· Active railroad exists in the county and passes through Bozeman , Belgrade , Manhattan and Three Forks

· Several accidents have occurred in the past

· Potential exists for a large hazardous materials release from a railroad accident

Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· National Climatic Data Center database

· National Weather Service website

· Subject matter experts

· Severe thunderstorms, some causing damage, have occurred in recent history

Terrorism, Civil Unrest, and Violence

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Centers for Disease Control website

· Gallatin County Emergency Operations Plan

· Southern Poverty Law Center website

· Anti-Defamation League website

· Heightened alert since September 11, 2001

· Small scale incidents have occurred in Gallatin County

· Proximity to Yellowstone National Park and National Forest lands

Utility Outage

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Public meeting input

· Subject matter experts

· Dependence of population on utility services

Volcano

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

· Montana Disaster and Emergency Services

· Proximity to active volcanic caldera

· History of ash fall over the county

Wildfire

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Gallatin County records

· DNRC records

· USFS records

· Mountainous, forested, and flammable terrain exists throughout the county

· History of significant wildfires, both forest and grass fires

· Growth in the wildland/urban interface

Winter Storms and Extended Cold

· Gallatin County

· All Incorporated Cities and Towns

· Western Regional Climate Center database

· Public meeting input

· History of road closures due to winter conditions

· Potential for power outages during a cold spell

Phase 3, Develop Mitigation Plan:

In Phase 3 we will evaluate our capability to mitigate the risks identified in our risk assessment review. Based on this we will develop our hazard mitigation strategy. This strategy must address how the community intends to address mitigation of identified risks. These strategies must be specific to each jurisdiction seeking credit for the plan.

Phase 4, Implement and Monitor Progress:

In Phase 4 we will seek approval from FEMA, followed by adoption of the plan by the jurisdictions. After adoption, communities are eligible to pursue mitigation activities using a variety of funding sources. A process must also be in place that allows for monitoring the plan and allows for ongoing public involvement.

Resources