Overview of the Town of Montreat The Town of Montreat is located in the eastern portion of Buncombe County approximately two miles north of the Town of Black Mountain with elevations ranging from 3,000 feet to 5,200 feet. Incorporated in 1967, the Town has a population of approximately 730 full‐time residents. The Town is best known as a national conference center for the Presbyterian Church (USA), which is managed by the Mountain Retreat Association, and for Montreat College. The population estimate for the Town however is deceiving. While small, the Town accommodates 35,000 visitors each year, with an estimated 17,000 of those visitors during just ten weeks of the year. Town of Montreat Technical and Fiscal Capability The Town of Montreat, like most small towns, deals with hazards and emergencies by utilizing the various departments within the town as well as the Black Mountain Fire Department and the Buncombe County EMS. The Montreat Police Department in conjunction with the Black Mountain Fire Department are the primary departments that respond to emergencies. The police department consists of five full‐time officers and four auxiliary officers. The department has both two and four wheel drive vehicles and is dispatched through the Black Mountain Police Department. In the event of an emergency, the Town’s public works department is available to assist the police and fire department. The public works department consists of five employees and is capable of utilizing the town’s equipment including two backhoes and several trucks. The department is available for debris removal, street cleaning and rescue/evacuation support. Montreat’s administration personnel would act as logistics and communication support. The Town’s Board of Commissioners and Mayor can act as liaisons with the public and other entities within the Town limits. The Town of Montreat maintains a fund balance of approximately one hundred percent (100%) to sustain financial health and to have funds available in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Analysis The Town of Montreat concurs with Buncombe County’s identification of hazards in our community. During the process of identifying hazards, the Town of Montreat chose to consider the intensity of the hazard rather than the size and location of the hazard. This was done primarily because of the relatively small size of Montreat, approximately 5,000 acres or 6 square miles as compared with Buncombe County. 100
The National Environmental Mapping and Analysis Center (NEMAC)/Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at the University of North Carolina Asheville assisted with the identification of the following hazards within the Town of Montreat’s jurisdiction. The following table summarizes the hazards, the likelihood of their occurrence, the intensity of the hazard and its impact on the community. Each hazard is then assigned a Hazard Index Rating based on the combining the likelihood, intensity and impact. The Hazard Index indicates that Montreat's major threats come from winter storms, flooding, utility failure, erosion and severe thunderstorms. Town of Montreat Hazard Identification and Analysis Worksheet
Type of Hazard Likelihood of Occurrence
Highly Likely (4) Highly Likely (4) Likely (3) Highly Likely (4) Highly Likely (4) Likely (3) Likely (3) Possible (2) Possible (2) Likely (3) Possible (2) Possible (2) Unlikely (1) Unlikely (1) Unlikely (1) Unlikely (1) Unlikely (1) Unlikely (1)
In addition to the information found in the hazard identification and analysis for Buncombe County, Montreat has compiled further information directly relating to certain hazards in our community. Winter Storms ‐ In March of 1993 the Town experienced a major winter storm event that was nicknamed the “Storm of the Century.” This storm shut down the town for several days and resulted in many emergency calls for service. Minor winter storm events occur almost every year. Flooding ‐ Montreat has experienced minor flooding events. Major flooding occurred in 1978 and most recently in 2004. Flooding in areas of Town during those years resulted in evacuations and several missions for emergency services personnel. The Town of Montreat does not have the capacity of performing an analysis similar to Buncombe County’s for parcels located in the floodplain. In January of 2010, Montreat’s special flood hazard areas were mapped for the first time through the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program. Using these resources, the Town can now identify parcels of land within or that is at least partially impacted by the floodplain. In the event of flooding, property such as household contents and motor vehicles or property loss potential in terms of damage to landscapes, crops, equipment or inventory have not been valued to estimate a potential amount of loss. Wildfire ‐ In April of 1993, a furnace seized and exploded inside a house in Montreat. The resulting fire spread to the mountainside and in its aftermath left three houses completely destroyed, three others damaged and burned over 600 acres. Total property loss exceeded $700,000. Landslides – The North Carolina Geological Survey staff has completed an analysis of landslide hazards for Buncombe County. This study and relative maps are available on the Buncombe County website. A list of potential and known landslide hazards within Montreat is included on these maps. As part of the Vulnerability Analysis, critical facilities were identified and mapped. Critical facilities were identified as: daycare centers, police stations, schools, town wells, telephone switch stations. The Town now has maps that identify the floodplain boundaries as well as areas in Town with steep slopes. The Town will continue to work with Buncombe County to update floodplain maps, pursue flood hazard mitigation strategies as well as to work with land use planning regulations to minimize hazard risk. The Town of Montreat concurs with Buncombe County’s vulnerability analysis. 102
Town of Montreat Hazard Mitigation Strategy Based on identification of the most significant hazards facing Montreat, along with vulnerability and capability assessments, the following mitigation strategies are suggested: Mitigation Goal #1 Incorporate hazard mitigation into the Montreat planning process. The goals and principles of hazard mitigation often cut across many aspects of the public interest. The first step is to make a conscious effort to integrate hazard mitigation into the planning process. In order to educate the Administration, Police, Public Works and Planning and Inspections Departments about the importance of hazard mitigation, a representative from one of these departments will serve on a committee to review the completed draft of the Hazard Mitigation Plan prior to its adoption. This committee will also include the County’s Director of Emergency Management and the Project Impact Coordinator/ Emergency Management Planner. This group of people also serve as the Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee to be discussed later in the section “Updates and Revisions”. Additionally, each jurisdiction will be provided with resources discussing hazard mitigation concepts such as the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management’s Tools & Techniques: Putting a Hazard Mitigation Plan to Work (October, 1999) and Keeping Natural Hazards From Becoming Disasters: A Basic Workbook for Local Governments (May, 2000). The Project Impact Coordinator/Emergency Management Planner will be responsible for coordinating this committee. This committee was formed and functional prior to January 1, 2005. The Town Administrator, Police Chief or Public Works Director will serve on this committee. Objective 1.1 Incorporate hazard mitigation into the Montreat planning process. 1.1.1 Appoint a representative to the Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee. Continue to meet as needed. The Town Administrator and Public Works Director were appointed as the Montreat representatives to the Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee. Status: On going The Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee will continue to meet as needed. 1.1.2 Review resources discussing hazard mitigation concepts. 103
Resources from the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management and Buncombe County were distributed to department heads at a county wide meeting. Hazard mitigation concepts were discussed and developed further during the development of the Continuity of Operations Disaster Readiness Plan. Status: On going
Hazard mitigation concepts will continue to be discussed during the revision process of the Hazard Mitigation Plan and as resources are updated or new ones are made available shared with department heads. Mitigation Goal #2 Evaluate and strengthen existing ordinances as needed. The evaluation of policies and ordinances for the “Community Capability” section of this document provided valuable information on Montreat's position in terms of existing mitigation planning. However, local conditions are constantly changing due to increased development, changes in technology, changes in local mitigation capabilities, or natural disaster events. It is because of these ever changing conditions that evaluation must be an ongoing process. Therefore, the initial “Community Capability Assessment” should be viewed as a starting point rather than an end result. Because these conditions do not change at regular intervals, it is difficult to establish a timeline dictating how often ordinances and policies should be reviewed. The phrase “as needed” should be interpreted as “anytime the community experiences a significant change in conditions” such as rapid development or technological change. Appropriate times for evaluation also occur when local officials notice the effects of a pattern of slower, but steady, changes over time. Finally, the best window of opportunity for policy evaluation may come following a natural disaster event. This is when you can truly discern the policies’ effectiveness. Objective 2.1 Strengthen existing ordinances as needed. 2.1.1 Update the zoning ordinance to reflect mitigation planning and safety factors. Montreat shall continue the process of updating its code of ordinances. The Town has completed major revisions to the zoning and subdivision ordinance reflecting mitigation planning including adopting the Hillside Development Ordinance, Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, Stormwater Management Ordinance, Minimum Housing Standards and changes referencing and automatically adopting revisions to the North Carolina State Building Codes. 104
Status: On going The Town has made great strides in implementing this strategy and will continue to evaluate and strengthen existing ordinances as needed. This will be an on‐going strategy for the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning cycle. 2.1.2 Develop a mechanism that will ensure review of appropriate policies and procedures following a natural disaster event. The Town with cooperation from Buncombe County developed a Continuity of Operations Disaster Readiness Plan. Within this plan steps are outlined that focus on not only recovery but a procedure to ensure the review of policies and procedures following a natural disaster event. Status: Completed Mitigation Goal #3 Ensure enforcement of ordinances. Developing sound, strong ordinances is only the beginning. These policies are only effective if they are consistently enforced. A tracking system has been developed within Montreat to ensure consistency in enforcement. The system includes data on the number of plans accepted and rejected and the number of warning and citations issued. Montreat designated its Building Inspector/Code Administrator to track this information. The Town Administrator reports this information to the Project Impact Coordinator/Emergency Management Planner (or other County designee) on a semi‐ annual basis. This process was established and functioning by January 1, 2008. Objective 3.1 Ensure consistency in zoning and building inspections enforcement. 3.1.1 Develop a checklist in our zoning and building inspections department to ensure consistency in zoning enforcement and to prevent omissions in the evaluation of projects. 3.1.2 Develop a tracking system in the building inspections department to record the number of plans accepted and rejected and the number of warning and citation issued. 3.1.3 Report results of inspection/enforcement measures to the Project Impact Coordinator/Emergency Management Planner on a semi‐annual basis. 3.1.4 Continue to enforce the International Building Code. 105
As part of the permitting process, the Planning and Inspections Department has developed a checklist to ensure consistency in zoning enforcement and to prevent omissions in the evaluation of projects. The Building Inspector/Code Administrator also developed a tracking system to record the number of plans accepted and rejected and the number of warning and citations issued. This information is reported monthly to Montreat Board of Commissioners and annually to Buncombe County. Status – Process development and implementation – Complete. Enforcement ‐ On‐going. The Town of Montreat will continue to ensure consistency in zoning and building inspections enforcement by using the checklists and tracking systems in place as well as enforcing the Town ordinances and North Carolina State Building Codes. This enforcement is an on‐going process and will be a strategy for the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning cycle. Mitigation Goal #4 Educate the public regarding hazard mitigation. Though there are many measures that local governments can take to protect the health and safety of their citizens, property owners also have a responsibility to protect their homes, families, and businesses. Local governments can assist in this task by making hazard mitigation information available to the public. The Planning and Inspections Department will educate contractors, developers and designers on code changes and new development issues. The Town will also continue with and expand the fire prevention programs in the fire department to reduce fire losses within in the Town and the East Buncombe Fire District. Buncombe County’s Project Impact program maintains a portion of the County’s web site that includes detailed information on hazard mitigation. Project Impact has also supplied hazard mitigation information for airing on the County’s Government Access cable television channel. Objective 4.1 Educate the public about hazards prevalent to the area. 4.1.1 Educate contractors, developers and designers on code changes and new development issues. 4.1.2 Provide new homebuilders with information on quality redevelopment and safe housing development. The information is dispersed at the Town Services Office. 106
The Building Inspector/Code Administrator encourages preliminary meetings with property owners and contractors to inform them of current regulations and requirements before detailed project plans are developed. This proactive approach creates an awareness on the citizen’s part of hazards prevalent to our area. The information and brochures now available at the Town Services Office details new ordinance changes and development issues as well as providing information on safe housing development and best management practices. Status: On going The education of stakeholders will always be a key component of Hazard Mitigation Planning and as a result will be an on‐going strategy of the next five year planning cycle. Objective 4.2 Publicize documents associated with emergency response and mitigation. 4.2.1 Manually disperse and have a website posting which provides information about relevant emergency response actions the public can take. 4.2.2 Manually disperse and have a website posting which provides information about relevant emergency response and preparedness actions the public can take. 4.2.3 Manually disperse and have a website posting which provides information about Buncombe County’s Project Impact and the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and relevant mitigation measures the public can take. Status: On going Montreat has updated its website with relevant information about emergency response, water shortages, emergency response and preparedness. Additional work is needed to make this information readily available on a single page of the Town website. 107
Objective 4.3 Maintain and publicize a current action plan for emergency response. 4.3.1 Continue to update the Town of Montreat Emergency Response Ordinance on an annual basis including relevant positions and contact information changes. Status: On going The Continuity of Operations Disaster Readiness Plan for Montreat as well as the Emergency Response Ordinance will continue to be updated on annual basis to reflect changes in personnel and their contact information. Mitigation Goal #5 Address the issues of stormwater management and impervious surfaces. Storm water management programs can be an important step in flood and erosion control. As development occurs, natural ground cover is replaced with impervious surfaces such as streets, parking lots, and buildings. The result is an increase in surface runoff, which carries pollutants to bodies of water. When a storm event occurs, heavy concentrations of pollutants may result along with flooding of streets and waterways. “Storm water” is surface flow water from precipitation that accumulates in and flows through natural and/or man‐made storage and conveyance systems during and immediately following a storm event. As storm water travels, it carries pollutants to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ground waters, impacting water quality. Poor management of storm water can lead to impaired water bodies, degraded animal habitats, polluted drinking water, increased flooding, and hydrologic changes to streams, lakes, wetlands and rivers. (Information derived from “Designing and Implementing an Effective Storm Water Management Program”, American Public Works Association, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreement, 1998). Through the Clean Water Act of 1972, increased accountability for protecting water quality was placed on pollutant dischargers. The Act required states to survey their waters and determine an appropriate use for each, and then set specific water quality criteria for various pollutants to protect those uses. The Clean Water Act also introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The NPDES program requires anyone discharging a pollutant from a point source into waters to obtain a NPDES permit. The Clean Water Act focus was on industrial and municipal wastewater, or point source pollution. Stormwater runoff is non‐point source pollution. New regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency include adding stormwater discharges under the NPDES program. These regulations are referred to as the EPA’s “Phase II Regulations.” These new requirements are the second phase of an EPA mandate to control 108
stormwater. The first phase affected larger cities in North Carolina. The second phase requires smaller municipalities, including all six within Buncombe County (Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin), to implement stormwater management plans. The EPA Phase II Regulations were announced in December 1999 and required states to implement storm water management methods by March 2003. North Carolina’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is charged with implementing the federal requirements in the state. The Division of Water Quality in DENR is leading the effort. The Town of Montreat submitted a proposed NPDES Phase II permit application to DENR in March of 2003 and was issued a permit in 2005. Stormwater management best practices has been identified, and a storm water management program developed. Land‐of‐Sky Regional Council has established a Regional Stormwater Planning Committee including representatives from Buncombe County Erosion Control, Emergency Management, and Planning Departments as well as representatives from all municipal jurisdictions within the county. This committee also includes personnel from neighboring counties within the French Broad River watershed. The outcome of this planning process has been a regional stormwater management plan for the French Broad River watershed. Objective 5.1 In 2005, the Town adopted a Stormwater Management Plan that established Best Management Practices and Measurable Goals for each of the six required components for the Montreat Stormwater Plan. Implementation Measures 5.1 Continue to implement best management practices and measurable goals for the Public Education and Outreach component of the plan. 5.1.1 Prepare a public education program. 5.1.2 Develop and maintain a web site that will offer information on water quality, stormwater, stormwater projects and activities and ways to contact stormwater program staff. 5.1.3 Develop general stormwater educational material targeting school children, homeowners and business. 5.1.4 Distribute written material through utility mail outs and at special events. Status: Completed implementation measures 5.1.1 through 5.1.4. The Town will continue to implement the best management practices associated with the Public Education and Outreach component of the Stormwater 109
Management Plan. This work will continue to be coordinated with Land‐of‐Sky Regional Council and updated every five years through the NPDES permitting process. 5.2 5.2.1 Conduct at least one public meeting during the application process to explain the Phase II program. Allow the public an opportunity to review and comment on the stormwater management program. Status: Completed The Town will continue to implement the best management practices associated with the Public Involvement and Education component of the Stormwater Management Plan. This work will continue to be coordinated with Land‐of‐Sky Regional Council and updated every five years through the NPDES permitting process. Continue to implement best management practices and measurable goals for the Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination component of the plan. 5.3.1 Develop, implement and enforce an Illicit Discharge Ordinance 5.3.2 Create a storm sewer system map that identifies and locates stormwater drainage components that include outfalls and receiving streams. 5.3.3 Establish a system for inspecting illicit discharges, which shall include employee cross‐training for town staff on detecting and reporting illicit discharges. 5.3.4 Establish a reporting mechanism for the public to report illicit discharges. Status: Completed The Town will continue to implement the best management practices associated with the Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination component of the Stormwater Management Plan. This work will be updated every five years through the NPDES permitting process. 5.4 5.4.1 Rely on Buncombe County’s Erosion and Sediment Control Program to meet this requirement. 5.4.2 Provide a reporting mechanism for the public to notify the appropriate authorities of observed erosion and sedimentation problems. 110 Continue to implement best management practices and measurable goals for the Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control component of the plan. Continue to implement best management practices and measurable goals for the Public Involvement and Education component of the plan.
5.3
5.5
Status: Completed The Town will continue to implement the best management practices associated with the Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control component of the Stormwater Management Plan. This work will be updated every five years through the NPDES permitting process. Continue to implement best management practices and measurable goals for the Post Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment component of the plan. 5.5.1 Develop an ordinance to implement and enforce post‐construction runoff controls for new development and redevelopment. 5.5.2 Develop educational materials for local developers explaining the local post‐construction approval process. 5.5.3 Develop post‐construction runoff control measures for protecting Trout Waters in accordance with 15A NCAC .0126 Status: Completed The Town will continue to implement the best management practices associated with the Post Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment component of the Stormwater Management Plan. This work will be updated every five years through the NPDES permitting process. Continue to implement best management practices and measurable goals for the Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations component of the plan. 5.6.1 Inspect all facilities and operations with the potential for generating polluted stormwater runoff. Document deficiencies and corrective actions. 5.6.2 Conduct training on pollution prevention and good housekeeping procedures. 5.6.3 Conduct annual review and update plans for permitted facilities as needed.
5.6
Status: Completed The Town will continue to implement the best management practices associated with the Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations component of the Stormwater Management Plan. This work will be updated every five years through the NPDES permitting process. 111
In 2010, the Town applied for an MS4 permit to address the next five year cycle in compliance with the EPA’s NPDES program requirements. Recent changes in EPA regulations for NPDES permit holders have resulted in continued efforts to keep with stricter water quality measures, many of which many not be relevant for the protected watershed area of Montreat. The Town is currently preparing comments in response to the draft permit provided by NCDENR. Mitigation Goal #6 Once Hazard Mitigation Plan is adopted, investigate participation in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Ratings System. The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) was implemented in 1990 as a program for recognizing and encouraging community flood plain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP standards. Under the CRS, flood insurance premium rates are adjusted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from community activities that meet the three goals of the CRS: (1) reduce flood losses; (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating; and (3) promote the awareness of flood insurance (www.fema.gov/nfip/crs.htm). The CRS requirements are revised every three years. The new criteria may include giving CRS credit for multi‐hazard mitigation planning. This activity will be coordinated through the County’s Project Impact Coordinator/Emergency Management Planner and the Floodplain Management Administrator for the Town of Montreat. Objective 6.1 Investigate participation in the National Flood Insurance Programs Community Ratings System. 6.1.1 Coordinate this activity through the County’s Project Impact Coordinator/Emergency Management Planner and the Floodplain Management Administrator for the Town. Status: On going The Town has investigated participation in the CRS, but at this time the additional staff resources needed to establish and maintain participation in the system is not justified based upon the limited development in the Special Flood Hazard Area’s in Montreat. The Town will continue to keep this Mitigation Goal as part of the next five year planning cycle in case development conditions change. 112
Mitigation Goal #7 Continue to carryout the hazard mitigation planning process and seek funding for emerging needs. The identification and development of these mitigation strategies should not be viewed as a conclusion but as one step in a cyclical process. This Hazard Mitigation Plan is a document that will continue to evolve as changes occur in Montreat. Procedures for the monitoring, evaluation, update, and revision of this plan are set forth in the final two sections of this document. In addition to the steps enumerated therein, the continuation of the hazard mitigation planning process also includes seeking out funding sources for emerging needs. Funding for updating staff training and certification, as well as equipment, is also a perpetual need in our current world of rapidly changing technology. Future areas of need could also include additional funds for the purchase of repetitive loss structures and/or other structures within the floodplain, funding for elevation studies of Zone A flood plain properties, and the purchase of handheld GPS units to aid in the enforcement of the Erosion Control and Flood Damage Prevention Ordinances. Responsibility for this element falls to staff of the Emergency Management and Planning Departments as needs emerge. Objective 7.1 Implement a GPS Setup for the Town. 7.1.1 Purchase a complete GPS setup and provide training on said setup to all pertinent town personnel. It is estimated that this will cost approximately $9,000 and can be paid for through grants and general fund revenue. Status: On going Due to budget constraints and limited training opportunities for staff, this objective will continue into the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning cycle. Objective 7.2 Record all structures within the floodplain, as well as, areas of repetitive losses due to flooding. 7.2.1 Maintain all tax parcel information and floodplain locations in a GIS system in order to build the Towns capability to identify areas needing future mitigation. Status: Completed With assistance from Buncombe County and the new mapping from the State of North Carolina following the flooding of 2004, Montreat was able to record all structures located within the floodplain. The Town will continue to maintain this 113
information as well as a list of repetitive losses due to flooding in order to identify areas that may require future mitigation. Objective 7.3 Improve the Town’s capability to identify areas needing future mitigation. 7.3.1 Develop a database that identifies each property that has received damage due to hazards identified within this mitigation plan. The database should also include a tax identification number of the property, a description of the property damage, the value of the damage, and links to photographs of the damage. Developing this database will allow the Town to easily identify properties at high risk of damage from certain hazards as well as properties, which receive repetitive damage from multiple hazards. Status: On going This objective will continue into the upcoming five year Hazard Mitigation Planning cycle. Adoption and Implementation The Hazard Mitigation Plan Review Committee, as described in Hazard Mitigation Strategy 1, will review a completed draft of the plan and recommend any needed revisions. The draft of the Buncombe County Hazard Mitigation Plan will then be submitted to the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Mitigation Branch for approval. If NCDEM mandates changes the Review Committee will meet in order to implement NCDEM recommendations. Once NCDEM has approved a draft of the plan each jurisdiction will be asked to adopt the plan according to their standard procedures. Such procedures include providing notice of a public hearing in the local newspaper, having the document available for review by the public, holding the public hearing, and adopting the plan at the governing body’s next meeting following the public hearing. 114
Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and evaluation are the ongoing processes of compiling information on the outcomes resulting from implementation of the hazard mitigation plan. This facilitates the identification of revisions needed to respond to changes in regional and local conditions. Local conditions are constantly changing. Local mitigation plans must also change in response to changes brought about through increased development, changes in technology, and changes in local mitigation capability. There is also a valuable window of opportunity for evaluating the Hazard Mitigation Plan following a natural disaster event. Effective monitoring and evaluation will also provide information on local compliance with state and federal mandates (NCDEM: Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Manual, November 1998). Updates and Revisions Due to unforeseen contingencies and changing times and conditions, “Update and Revision” is a necessary part of the hazard mitigation planning process. Updates address changes that have taken place in the local area since the plan was created and adopted. Such changes may include additional development, implementation of mitigation efforts, the occurrence of a natural disaster, or changes to state of federal regulations and requirements (NCDEM: Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Manual, November 1998). While “Monitoring and Evaluation” are ongoing processes, “Update and Revision” will occur at regularly scheduled intervals, at least every five years, and as part of a “debriefing” following the occurrence of a disaster event. A Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee will be established at the County level to include the County Director of Emergency Management, the Project Impact Coordinator/Emergency Management Planner, and a representative from the Administration, Public Works, Police or Planning and Inspection Departments from each incorporated jurisdiction. This committee will review and update the Hazard Mitigation Plan a minimum of once every five years or more often if changing conditions so dictate. 115
Town of Weaverville Mission Statement Weaverville will maintain its small town and neighborly atmosphere while actively managing the growth that is inevitable near a larger city. We will maintain Weaverville as a distinctive Town with a vital Main Street as its focus. Our Town will be attractive to both young and old with a wide range of housing choices at a variety of prices. Neighborhoods and business areas are key building blocks of our community. We will reserve areas for both types of uses while buffering each from the other. We seek an attractive Town that is well landscaped and accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. We will create a favorable atmosphere for the right type of business and industry, those that are clean and provide a good living for our residents. The services expected from the Town are sidewalks, parks, green spaces, financially responsible services, and well run utilities and emergency services. To develop this vision we intend to actively use zoning, subdivision regulations, extraterritorial planning authority and annexation. Town of Weaverville Technical & Fiscal Capability The Town of Weaverville coordinates all resource needs thru Buncombe County Emergency Management that may be required during a disaster. Emergency Management also maintains emergency plans for various county departments. Damage assessment is also coordinated through the county emergency management office. The Town of Weaverville generally conducts damage assessment via their inspection or fire departments. After a serious emergency or disaster operation, the Town forwards all damage reports Buncombe County Emergency Management , who in turn forwards them to state or federal governments for their consideration. Buncombe County Emergency Management also coordinates such things as shelter openings, emergency feeding of victims after a disaster and evacuation of victims during an emergency or disaster. The County maintains some disaster supplies but generally relies on the Asheville/Mountain Area Red Cross as the designated emergency shelter operator for Buncombe County. Buncombe County Emergency Management also maintains the county Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), the Buncombe County Resource Manual, and other plans as needed. The EOP as an example sets forth functional responsibilities within the various departments to ensure prompt emergency response and delivery of necessary services. The decision to activate the EOP rests with the County Emergency Management Director or designee. The EOP is generally updated every 2 years. The Resource Manual contains an inventory of all County‐ and municipal‐ owned emergency equipment, equipment owned by other agencies that can be utilized in the event of a disaster, as well as listings of area vendors and businesses where supplies and equipment can be obtained. 116
The Town of Weaverville is served by the Town of Weaverville Fire Department is a combination department staffed with both paid and volunteer personnel. The Department is staffed at the EMT‐Defibrillation level. The Fire Department also covers a rural fire district encompassing the Town. The following table lists the utility companies that provide services within the Town. Utility Companies Serving the Town of Weaverville Utility Service Electricity Telephone Water Sewer Natural Gas • • • • • Utility Company Progress Energy Frontier Weaverville Water Department Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) Public Service Company of North Carolina
Progress Energy is the provider of electrical service in Weaverville. Frontier is the primary telephone service provider in Buncombe County. The Weaverville Water Department provides water to the Town of Weaverville.. In addition to the municipal water service, a few residents of Weaverville are served by private wells and springs. The Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) is the provider of sewer service in Weaverville. In addition some residents of Weaverville have septic systems as opposed to municipal sewer service. All of the utility companies serving Weaverville were contacted by Buncombe County to determine if they have emergency and disaster response protocols in place. All utility companies have such policies and procedures in place. The Town of Weaverville has allocated significant resources to emergency management in terms of equipment, personnel and training. The utility companies serving our area have allocated resources (i.e. staff time) to develop emergency and disaster response protocols. The Town of Weaverville and Buncombe County has also demonstrated its ability to leverage additional funds. Examples of such funding include: FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program which funded the acquisition and demolition of structures located in the floodplain; North Carolina Department of Health and Natural Services Stormwater funding. 117
Town of Weaverville Hazard Mitigation Strategy Mitigation strategies should be developed on a case by case basis for each locality to reflect local conditions, needs, and desires. During our hazard mitigation planning process a wide variety of mitigation strategies were examined. The North Carolina Division of Emergency Management’s Tools and Techniques: Putting a Hazard Mitigation Plan to Work, along with sample mitigation strategies from other jurisdictions, provided the basis for this analysis. Based on identification of the most significant hazards facing the Town of Weaverville, along with vulnerability and capability assessments, the following mitigation strategies are suggested: Note: Weaverville’s Town Manager is responsible for the implementation of the mitigation strategies set forth below. 1. Incorporate hazard mitigation into the planning process of each jurisdiction. As previously stated, the goals and principles of hazard mitigation often cut across many aspects of the public interest. Because of this, many of the policies and procedures reviewed during the “Community Capability Assessment” were already positive steps toward hazard mitigation. The next step is to make a conscious effort to integrate hazard mitigation into the planning process of each jurisdiction. In order to educate the Administration and Planning Departments of each jurisdiction about the importance of hazard mitigation, a representative from one of those two departments from each jurisdiction will serve on a committee to review the completed draft of the Hazard Mitigation Plan prior to its adoption. This committee will also include the County’s Director of Emergency Management and the Emergency Management Planner. This group of people will then evolve into the Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee to be discussed later in the section “Updates and Revisions”. Additionally, each jurisdiction will be provided with resources discussing hazard mitigation concepts such as the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management’s Tools & Techniques: Putting a Hazard Mitigation Plan to Work (October, 1999) and Keeping Natural Hazards From Becoming Disasters: A Basic Workbook for Local Governments (May, 2000). The Emergency Management Planner will be responsible for coordinating this committee. The committee will be formed and functional prior to January 1, 2005. Status‐ On‐going Upon receipt of FEMA approval, the Town independently adopted the Buncombe County Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Town updates strategy of incorporating hazard mitigation into its planning processes as evidenced in updates to the Hazard Mitigation Strategy.
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While we have made strides in implementing this strategy, the Town will continue to integrate hazard mitigation into its planning processes. This will be an on‐going strategy for the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning Cycle. 2. Evaluate and strengthen existing ordinances as needed. The evaluation of policies and ordinances for the “Community Capability” section of this document provided valuable information on Buncombe County’s and its incorporated jurisdictions’ position in terms of existing mitigation planning. However, local conditions are constantly changing due to increased development, changes in technology, changes in local mitigation capabilities, or natural disaster events. It is because of these ever changing conditions that evaluation must be an ongoing process. Therefore, the initial “Community Capability Assessment” should be viewed as a starting point rather than an end result. Because these conditions do not change at regular intervals, it is difficult to establish a timeline dictating how often ordinances and policies should be reviewed. The phrase “as needed” should be interpreted as “anytime the community experiences a significant change in conditions” such as rapid development or technological change. Appropriate times for evaluation also occur when local officials notice the effects of a pattern of slower, but steady, changes over time. Finally, the best window of opportunity for policy evaluation may come following a natural disaster event. This is when you can truly discern the policies’ effectiveness. Status – On‐going Since 2005, the Town has adopted a number of new ordinances. These include adopting the Buncombe County steep slope development ordinance and the grading ordinance. The Steep Slope Development Ordinance was adopted to insure that development only occurs on steep slopes happens only after careful study and any hazards are mitigated. The grading ordinance was designed to prevent unapproved grading and the resulting storm water runoff. Both of these ordinances were adopted by the Town Council in 2010. While we have made strides in implementing this strategy, the Town will continue to integrate hazard mitigation into its planning processes. This will be an on‐going strategy for the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning Cycle. 3. Ensure enforcement of ordinances. Developing sound, strong ordinances is only the beginning. These policies are only effective if they are consistently enforced. A tracking system should be developed to ensure consistency in enforcement. Such a system should include data on the number of plans accepted and rejected and the number of warning and citations issued. Weaverville designates the Weaverville Zoning Administrator to be responsible for 119
enforcing ordinances. All designees should report this information to the Emergency Management Planner (or other County designee) on a yearly basis. This process has been established and is functioning. Status ‐ On‐going Again we have made significant strides in implementing this strategy. Ensuring enforcement of ordinances is an on‐going process. The strategy is to be on‐going for the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning Cycle. 4. Educate the public regarding hazard mitigation Though there are many measures that local governments can take to protect the health and safety of their citizens, property owners also have a responsibility to protect their homes, families, and businesses. Local governments can assist in this task by making hazard mitigation information available to the public. The Town Manager will be responsible for educating the public through newsletters, special alerts and other means as necessary. In addition, the Ordinances, enforced by the Town of Weaverville will be placed on the Town’s website. Status – On –going We find that Public Education is a continual process and it is not possible to design a single public education campaign over a specified period and consider this strategy completed. The population of Biltmore Forest is ever changing. As people move in and out, residents age, businesses close and new ones open, the needs and composition of communities change. Thus there will be an on‐going strategy for the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning Cycle. 5. Address the issues of stormwater management and impervious surfaces. Storm water management programs can be an important step in flood and erosion control. As development occurs, natural ground cover is replaced with impervious surfaces such as streets, parking lots, and buildings. The result is an increase in surface runoff which carries pollutants to bodies of water. When a storm event occurs, heavy concentrations of pollutants may result along with flooding of streets and waterways. “Storm water” is surface flow water from precipitation that accumulates in and flows through natural and/or man‐made storage and conveyance systems during and immediately following a storm event. As storm water travels, it carries pollutants to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ground waters, impacting water quality. Poor management of storm water can lead to impaired water bodies, degraded animal habitats, polluted drinking water, increased flooding, and hydrologic changes to streams, lakes, wetlands and rivers. (Information derived from “Designing and Implementing an Effective Storm 120
Water Management Program”, American Public Works Association, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreement, 1998). Through the Clean Water Act of 1972, increased accountability for protecting water quality was placed on pollutant dischargers. The Act required states to survey their waters and determine an appropriate use for each, and then set specific water quality criteria for various pollutants to protect those uses. The Clean Water Act also introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The NPDES program requires anyone discharging a pollutant from a point source into waters to obtain a NPDES permit. The Clean Water Act focus was on industrial and municipal wastewater, or point source pollution. Stormwater runoff is non‐point source pollution. New regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency include adding stormwater discharges under the NPDES program. These regulations are referred to as the EPA’s “Phase II Regulations.” These new requirements are the second phase of an EPA mandate to control stormwater. The first phase affected larger cities in North Carolina. The second phase requires smaller municipalities, including all six within Buncombe County (Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin), to implement stormwater management plans. It also requires some counties, including Buncombe, to face certain requirements, as well. The EPA Phase II Regulations were announced in December 1999 and require states to implement storm water management methods by March 2003. North Carolina’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is charged with implementing the federal requirements in the state. The Division of Water Quality in DENR is leading the effort. There is still some question as to whether or not counties, since they typically do not own or operate the municipal storm sewer systems, are going to be charged with carrying out the six required components of the Phase II regulations. The six required components are: Public involvement/participation Public education and awareness programs Detection and elimination of illicit connections to the municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) Management of post‐construction storm water runoff Construction site storm water runoff controls Pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations (public facilities) Status – Adoption of ordinance and development of Sotrmwater Management Program – Complete. Refining Stormwater Management Program and enforcement of regualtions – On‐going. 121
In the coming years, the Town of Weaverville will continue to evaluate and refine its Stormwater Management Program and issues of Stormwater Management and impervious surfaces will be an on‐going strategy for the next five year Hazard Mitigation Planning Cycle. 6. Continue to carryout the hazard mitigation planning process and seek funding for emerging needs. The identification and development of these mitigation strategies should not be viewed as a conclusion but as one step in a cyclical process. This Hazard Mitigation Plan is a document that will continue to evolve as changes occur in Buncombe County. Procedures for the monitoring, evaluation, update, and revision of this plan are set forth in the final two sections of this document. In addition to the steps enumerated therein, the continuation of the hazard mitigation planning process also includes seeking out funding sources for emerging needs. Status – On‐going This is another on‐going strategy for the upcoming five year Hazard Mitigation Planning Cycle. Funding needs are to be noted as they emerge. Adoption and Implementation The Hazard Mitigation Plan Review Committee, as described in Hazard Mitigation Strategy 1, will review a completed draft of the plan and recommend any needed revisions. The draft of the Town of Weaverville Hazard Mitigation Plan will then be submitted to the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Mitigation Branch for approval. If NCDEM mandates changes the Review Committee will meet in order to implement NCDEM recommendations. Once NCDEM has approved a draft of the plan each jurisdiction will be asked to adopt the plan according to their standard procedures. Such procedures include providing notice of a public hearing in the local newspaper, having the document available for review by the public, holding the public hearing, and adopting the plan at the governing body’s next meeting following the public hearing. 122
Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and evaluation are the ongoing processes of compiling information on the outcomes resulting from implementation of the hazard mitigation plan. This facilitates the identification of revisions needed to respond to changes in regional and local conditions. Local conditions are constantly changing. Local mitigation plans must also change in response to changes brought about through increased development, changes in technology, and changes in local mitigation capability. There is also a valuable window of opportunity for evaluating the Hazard Mitigation Plan following a natural disaster event. Effective monitoring and evaluation will also provide information on local compliance with state and federal mandates (NCDEM: Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Manual, November 1998). Updates and Revisions Due to unforeseen contingencies and changing times and conditions, “Update and Revision” is a necessary part of the hazard mitigation planning process. Updates address changes that have taken place in the local area since the plan was created and adopted. Such changes may include additional development, implementation of mitigation efforts, the occurrence of a natural disaster, or changes to state of federal regulations and requirements (NCDEM: Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Manual, November 1998). While “Monitoring and Evaluation” are ongoing processes, “Update and Revision” should occur at regularly scheduled intervals, at least every five years, and as part of a “debriefing” following the occurrence of a disaster event. A Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee should be established to include the County Director of Emergency Management, the Emergency Management Planner, and a representative from either the Administration or Planning Department from the County and each incorporated jurisdiction. This committee will review and update the Hazard Mitigation Plan a minimum of one time per year or more often if changing conditions so dictate.
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Town of Woodfin – Overview The Town of Woodfin was incorporated in 1971 and is Buncombe County’s third largest municipality. Woodfin is governed by a Mayor and a six member Board of Aldermen, elected through staggered non‐partisan elections. The state of North Carolina estimates Woodfin’s current population at 6020 (as of 2009) persons. Current and Future Land Use Maps for the Town of Woodfin are located on the next two pages. Town of Woodfin Hazard Identification and Analysis The Town of Woodfin concurs with the Buncombe County’s Hazard Identification and Analysis. There are no differences in hazards either in type, likelihood or intensity. A Flood Hazard Map for the Town of Woodfin is located on the page following the land use maps. Town of Woodfin Technical and Fiscal Capability The Town of Woodfin, like many small towns deals with hazards and emergencies by utilizing cooperation and flexibility. The Police Department is the primary Town department involved in responding to emergencies. The 14‐member force would coordinate all resource needs through the Buncombe County Emergency Management office. The department has two and four wheel drive vehicles and modern communications equipment. The officers are trained in rescue, standard first aid and civil control. The Police Department has an ongoing relationship with our local volunteer Fire departments, the Woodfin Volunteer Fire Department and the West Buncombe Fire Department. Though lacking a formal disaster plan, they often respond together on calls. In the event of an emergency, the Town’s public works department is available to assist with hazard and disaster work. The 9 member department is capable of operating a variety of heavy equipment, including, tractors and backhoe. The department would be available for debris removal, street clearing and rescue support. Woodfin’s 4 person administrative department can act as a logistical and communications link. The department can assist with coordination, can serve as a communications link with the public, and can contribute the use of the Town’s GIS system. The Town’s administrative employees and our Board of Aldermen can act as liaisons with local civic and religious groups.
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Woodfin Hazard Mitigation Strategy Mitigation strategies should be developed on a case‐by‐case basis for each locality to reflect local conditions, needs, and desires. Based on identification of the most significant hazards facing the Town of Woodfin, along with vulnerability and capability assessments, the following mitigation strategies are suggested: 1. Incorporate hazard mitigation into the planning process. The town of Woodfin makes a deliberate effort to incorporate hazard mitigation into our planning process. The Town’s Board of Aldermen and Planning Board are aware of the importance of this process. Future, revisions to the Zoning Ordinance, Housing Code and area development plans have taken into account the principles of Hazard Mitigation. As stated in the County’s plan, a representative from Woodfin’s Administrative Department served on a committee to review the completed draft of the County Hazard Mitigation Plan prior to its adoption. This committee also included the County’s Director of Emergency Management and the Emergency Management Planner. This group of people will then evolve into the Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee. This group was formed and functioning by January 1, 2005. Additionally, Woodfin acquired and utilized resources discussing hazard mitigation concepts such as the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management’s Tools & Techniques: Putting a Hazard Mitigation Plan to Work (October, 1999) and Keeping Natural Hazards From Becoming Disasters: A Basic Workbook for Local Governments (May, 2000). Woodfin’s Town Administrator and the Board of Aldermen have been responsible for implementing this strategy. Progress is evaluated by the Board of Aldermen on an ongoing basis. Presently the Board of Aldermen are in the process of reviewing a Riverfront Redevelopment Plan that incorporates strategies to improve economic, recreational, and residential opportunities along Woodfin’s most flood prone areas in a manner that is based upon an understanding of flood and stormwater runoff issues. It is anticipated that this Redevelopment Plan titled the Woodfin Greenways, Sidewalks and Bikeways Plan (2010). The Board of Aldermen are also in the process of revising a consolidated master plan for the Woodfin Community which is also anticipated to be complete in calendar year 2010. This community master plan attempts to implement best practices to achieve quality and varied development for the Woodfin Community while employing practical hazard mitigation strategies. Status: On‐going. 126
2. Evaluate and strengthen existing ordinances as needed. Woodfin should constantly evaluate and strengthen our existing ordinances as needed. The Town’s environment and circumstances are constantly changing and our Hazard Mitigation strategies must constantly change with them. The phrase “as needed” should be interpreted as “anytime the community experiences a significant change in conditions” such as rapid development, annexation, major zoning changes or technological change. The Town can also schedule a “Hazard Mitigation Review” whenever it updates its Land Development Plan. Finally, the best window of opportunity for policy evaluation may come following a natural disaster event. This is when you can truly discern the policies’ effectiveness. Woodfin’s Town Administrator and the Board of Aldermen will be responsible for implementing this strategy. Progress is evaluated by the Board of Aldermen on an ongoing basis. In 2010 the Board of Aldermen entered a new agreement with Buncombe County to enforce the recently adopted Flood Damage Prevention ordinance of 2010. This new ordinance was crafted using best practices to avoid and prevent development that might be unnecessarily prone to the damaging effects of flooding. Together these actions represent some of the continuing evolution of Woodfin’s ordinances to incorporate hazard mitigation as a central point in the process of developing ordinances. Status: On‐going. 3. Ensure enforcement of ordinances. Woodfin must be committed and vigilant in enforcing its Hazard‐related ordinances and regulations. Because of our small size and limited resources, every department must be involved in the enforcement process. Each department should notify the town Administrator when ordinance or code violations are seen in the community. The Town has added a fulltime code enforcement position as of October 2007 to assist in this process. The Administrative Department must work diligently to ensure that our regulations are fairly and quickly enforced. Data on reported violations will be maintained for tracking purposes. This tracking system was developed and functioning by January 1, 2005. Woodfin’s Town Administrator and the Board of Aldermen will be responsible for implementing this strategy. Progress is evaluated by the Board of Aldermen on an ongoing basis. Status – Process development and implementation – Complete. Enforcement ‐ On‐ going. 127
4. Educate the public regarding hazard mitigation. Though there are many measures that local governments can take to protect the health and safety of their citizens, property owners also have a responsibility to protect their homes, families, and businesses. Local governments can assist in this task by making hazard mitigation information available to the public. Woodfin should have readily available information on floodplain location, flood insurance, soil conditions, zoning, and long range planning available at Town Hall. The Town can refer citizens to the County’s web site which includes information on hazard mitigation. Buncombe County has also supplied hazard mitigation information for airing on it’s Government Access cable television channel. Woodfin should work in cooperation with the county in their effort to send information on the National Flood Insurance Program to all owners of flood plain parcels. A follow up survey should then be conducted to determine how many property owners have purchased flood insurance. Woodfin’s Town Administrator and the Board of Aldermen will be responsible for implementing this strategy. Progress is evaluated by the Board of Aldermen on an ongoing basis. As mentioned above, the Town has contracted with Buncombe County to administer the local Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance which ties directly into the County’s ability to spread the word about this important issue. Status: On‐going. 5. Address the issues of stormwater management and impervious surfaces. Storm water management programs can be an important step in flood and erosion control. As development occurs, natural ground cover is replaced with impervious surfaces such as streets, parking lots, and buildings. The result is an increase in surface runoff which carries pollutants to bodies of water. When a storm event occurs, heavy concentrations of pollutants may result along with flooding of streets and waterways. “Storm water” is surface flow water from precipitation that accumulates in and flows through natural and/or man‐made storage and conveyance systems during and immediately following a storm event. As storm water travels, it carries pollutants to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ground waters, impacting water quality. Poor management of storm water can lead to impaired water bodies, degraded animal habitats, polluted drinking water, increased flooding, and hydrologic changes to streams, lakes, wetlands and rivers. (Information derived from “Designing and Implementing an Effective Storm Water Management Program”, American Public Works Association, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreement, 1998). 128
Through the Clean Water Act of 1972, increased accountability for protecting water quality was placed on pollutant dischargers. The Act required states to survey their waters and determine an appropriate use for each, and then set specific water quality criteria for various pollutants to protect those uses. The Clean Water Act also introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The NPDES program requires anyone discharging a pollutant from a point source into waters to obtain a NPDES permit. The Clean Water Act focus was on industrial and municipal wastewater, or point source pollution. Storm water runoff is non‐point source pollution. New regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency include adding storm water discharges under the NPDES program. These regulations are referred to as the EPA’s “Phase II Regulations.” These new requirements are the second phase of an EPA mandate to control storm water. The first phase affected larger cities in North Carolina. The second phase requires smaller municipalities, including all six within Buncombe County (Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin), to implement storm water management plans. It also requires some counties, including Buncombe, to face certain requirements, as well. The EPA Phase II Regulations were announced in December 1999 and require states to implement storm water management methods by March 2003. North Carolina’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is charged with implementing the federal requirements in the state. The Division of Water Quality in DENR is leading the effort. The six required components of the program are: • Public involvement/participation • Public education and awareness programs • Detection and elimination of illicit connections to the municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) • Management of post‐construction storm water runoff • Construction site storm water runoff controls • Pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations (public facilities) Over the next two‐year period, storm water management best practices will be identified, and a storm water management program will be developed. The Town of Woodfin adopted a comprehensive Storm Water Management Ordinance on February 18, 2003.
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Woodfin’s Town Administrator, Public Works Department and the Board of aldermen will be responsible for implementing this strategy. Progress is evaluated by the Board of Aldermen on an ongoing basis. The Town of Woodfin is currently reviewing its draft permit from NCDENR for stormwater management. Once finalized the Town will begin amending its ordinances and practices to reflect the responsibilities outlined within same. Status – Adoption of ordinance and development of Sotrmwater Management Program – Complete. Refining Stormwater Management Program and enforcement of regualtions – On‐going. 6. Continue to carryout the hazard mitigation planning process and seek funding for emerging needs. The identification and development of these mitigation strategies should not be viewed as a conclusion but as one step in a cyclical process. This Hazard Mitigation Plan is a document that will continue to evolve as changes occur in Woodfin. Procedures for the monitoring, evaluation, update, and revision of this plan are set forth in the final two sections of this document. In addition to the steps enumerated therein, the continuation of the hazard mitigation planning process also includes seeking out funding sources for emerging needs. Funding for updating staff training and certification, as well as equipment, is also a perpetual need in our current world of rapidly changing technology. Future areas of need could also include additional funds for the purchase of repetitive loss structures and/or other structures within the floodplain, funding for elevation studies of Zone A flood plain properties, and the purchase of handheld GPS units to aid in the enforcement of the Erosion Control and Flood Damage Prevention Ordinances. Woodfin’s Town Administrator and the Board of Aldermen will be responsible for implementing this strategy. Progress will is evaluated by the Board of Aldermen on an ongoing basis. Status: On‐going. 130
Adoption and Implementation The Hazard Mitigation Plan Review Committee, as described in Hazard Mitigation Strategy 1, will review a completed draft of the plan and recommend any needed revisions. The draft of the Buncombe County Hazard Mitigation Plan will then be submitted to the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Mitigation Branch for approval. If NCDEM mandates changes the Review Committee will meet in order to implement NCDEM recommendations. Once NCDEM has approved a draft of the plan each jurisdiction will be asked to adopt the plan according to their standard procedures. Such procedures include providing notice of a public hearing in the local newspaper, having the document available for review by the public, holding the public hearing, and adopting the plan at the governing body’s next meeting following the public hearing. Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and evaluation are the ongoing processes of compiling information on the outcomes resulting from implementation of the hazard mitigation plan. This facilitates the identification of revisions needed to respond to changes in regional and local conditions. Local conditions are constantly changing. Local mitigation plans must also change in response to changes brought about through increased development, changes in technology, and changes in local mitigation capability. There is also a valuable window of opportunity for evaluating the Hazard Mitigation Plan following a natural disaster event. Effective monitoring and evaluation will also provide information on local compliance with state and federal mandates (NCDEM: Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Manual, November 1998). 131
Updates and Revisions Due to unforeseen contingencies and changing times and conditions, “Update and Revision” is a necessary part of the hazard mitigation planning process. Updates address changes that have taken place in the local area since the plan was created and adopted. Such changes may include additional development, implementation of mitigation efforts, the occurrence of a natural disaster, or changes to state or federal regulations and requirements (NCDEM: Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Manual, November 1998). While “Monitoring and Evaluation” are ongoing processes, “Update and Revision” should occur at regularly scheduled intervals, at least every 5 years, and as part of a “debriefing” following the occurrence of a disaster event. A Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation and Revision Committee should be established to include the County Director of Emergency Management, Emergency Management Planner, and a representative from either the Administration or Planning Department from the County and each incorporated jurisdiction. This committee will review and update the Hazard Mitigation Plan a minimum of every five years or more often if changing conditions so dictate. Public involvement will be encouraged throughout the update of the plan.
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Multi-Jurisdiciton Hazard Mitigation Actions Table #8 Mitigation Action Jurisdiction Hazards Addressed Review ordinances, policies and planning processes for opportunities to incorporate hazard mitigation principles. Continue the activities of the Technical Review Committee as outlined on pages. All All
Status from Last Update On‐going Action from old plan
Completion Responsible Party Date Local Emergency 2016 Management and Planning personnel 2016 Planning Director, Fire Marshal, Erosion Control Officer, Stormwater Engineer, Floodplain Ordinance Administrator, Subdivision Ordinance Administrator, Zoning Staff Planning and Inspections personnel, Fire Marshal
Local Emergency Management, Public Relations, and Water Resources personnel
Mitigation Strategy Addressed #1
Buncombe Asheville
Flooding, Wildfire, Landslide
New Action from old plan
#’s 1, 2 &3
Track development permits approved/rejected to ensure enforcement of existing ordinances. Distribute water conservation information to all communities during times of drought
All All
Flooding, Wildfire, Landslide Drought
On‐going Action from old plan New Action from old plan
2016
2016
#3 #4
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Distribute all‐hazards family preparedness information at the beginning of tornado, hurricane, and winter storm seasons. Continue to implement and refine stormwater management programs. Attend continuing education courses to maintain Certified Floodplain Manager status and keep informed of floodplain management concepts and best practices. Review Community Ratings System requirements and evaluate benefits of participation. Seek funding for acquisition of flood‐ prone structures continuing post Frances/Ivan buyout program
All
All
New Action from old plan
2016
All
Flooding
On‐going Action from old plan New Action from old plan
2016
Buncombe, Asheville, Black Mountain, Montreat Buncombe, Asheville, Black Mountain, Montreat Buncombe
(Candler and Swannanoa)
Flooding
2016
Local Emergency Management, Public Relations, and Fire Department personnel. Planning and Stormwater Management personnel. Local Floodplain Ordinance administration personnel. Local Emergency Management and Floodplain Ordinance administration personnel. Local Emergency Management personnel and Floodplain Ordinance Administrator
#4
#5
#6
Flooding
Deferred Action from old plan
2016
#6
Flooding
New Action from old plan
2016
#7
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Seek funding to build GIS layer of building footprints to improve ability to identify structures located in hazard areas. Seek funding for finished floor elevation studies of uninsured floodplain structures to facilitate cost/benefit analysis of potential acquisition projects.
Buncombe
Flooding, Landslide, Wildfire, Winterstorm, Dam Failure Flooding
New Action from old plan
2016
Local Emergency Management, Planning and GIS personnel. Local Emergency Management and Planning personnel.
#7
Buncombe
New Action from old plan
2016
#7
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APPENDIX A Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Committee Members Appendix A Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Committee Members
Jurisdiction Buncombe County Buncombe County Buncombe County City of Asheville Town of Biltmore Forest Town of Black Mountain Town of Black Mountain Town of Montreat Town of Weaverville Town of Weaverville Town of Woodfin Town of Woodfin
Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Committee Name Department Angela Ledford Emergency Management Cynthia Barcklow Planning & Development Jerry VeHaun Emergency Services Lewis Garrison Asheville Fire Department Nelson Smith Administration Elizabeth Teague Steve Jones Ron Nalley Michael Morgan Jeff Hooper Jerry VeHaun Jason Young Planning & Development Fire Department Administration Administration Fire Department Governing Body Administration
Title Planner Planner/Floodplain Manager Director Town Manager Director Chief Town Manager Town Manager Chief Mayor Town Manager
Appendix A Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Committee Members
APPENDIX B Weather Events January 1, 1990 to April 30, 2011
Appendix B NCDC Weather Events January 1990 to April 2011
NCDC Query Results
559 event(s) were reported in Buncombe County, North Carolina between 01/01/1990 and 04/30/2011 (High Wind limited to speed greater than 0 knots).
Click on Location or County to display Details. North Carolina Location or County 1 BUNCOMBE 2 BUNCOMBE 3 BUNCOMBE 4 BUNCOMBE 5 BUNCOMBE 6 BUNCOMBE 7 BUNCOMBE 8 BUNCOMBE 9 BUNCOMBE 10 Statewide 11 NCZ001>510 12 Enka 13 Asheville 14 Asheville 15 Barnardsville Date Time Hail Tstm Wind Hail Tstm Wind Hail Tstm Wind Tstm Wind Tstm Wind Tstm Wind Winter Storm Flash Floods Lightning Tornado Type Mag Dth Inj 1.50 0 in. 0 kts. 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PrD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CrD Mag: Dth: Inj: PrD: CrD: Magnitude Deaths Injuries Property Damage Crop Damage
Heavy Snow Snow Heavy Snow Hail Lightning Hail Tstm Wind Hail Hail
N/A 0 N/A 0 N/A 0 0.75 0 in. N/A 0 0.75 0 in. 50 kts. 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 20K 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.75 0 in. 1.00 0 in.
Appendix B NCDC Weather Events January 1990 to April 2011
49 Asheville 50 Avery Creek 51 Leicester 52 Leicester 53 Asheville 54 Asheville 55 Asheville 56 New Hominy 57 West Part Of County 58 Eastern Part 59 NCZ034 048>055
1.00 0 in. 0.88 0 in. 0.75 0 in. 0.88 0 in. 0.88 0 in. 0.88 0 in. TOTALS: 17
0 0 0 0 0 0
0K 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K
0K 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K
36 226.696M 2.000M
Appendix B NCDC Weather Events January 1990 to April 2011
APPENDIX C Hazard Severity Indices
Appendix C Hazard Severity Indices
Richter Magnitude Scale – Earthquake
Magnitude Description Less than 2.0 2.0–2.9 Minor 3.0–3.9 4.0–4.9 5.0–5.9 6.0–6.9 7.0–7.9 8.0–8.9 9.0–9.9 10.0+ Massive Light Moderate Strong Major Great Often felt, but rarely causes damage. Noticeable shaking of indoor items, rattling noises. Significant damage unlikely. Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At most slight damage to well-designed buildings. Can be destructive in areas up to about 160 kilometres (100 mi) across in populated areas. Can cause serious damage over larger areas. Can cause serious damage in areas several hundred kilometres across. Devastating in areas several thousand kilometres across. Never recorded, widespread devastation across very large areas; see below for equivalent seismic energy yield. Micro Earthquake effects Micro earthquakes, not felt.[12] Generally not felt, but recorded. Frequency of occurrence About 8,000 per day About 1,000 per day 49,000 per year (est.) 6,200 per year (est.) 800 per year 120 per year 18 per year 1 per year 1 per 20 years Extremely rare (Unknown)
Appendix C Hazard Severity Indices
Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale - Earthquake
Mercalli Intensity
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII
Equivalent Richter Magnitude
1.0 to 2.0 2.0 to 3.0 3.0 to 4.0 4.0 4.0 to 5.0 5.0 to 6.0 6.0 6.0 to 7.0 7.0 7.0 to 8.0 8.0 8.0 or greater
Witness Observations
Felt by very few people; barely noticeable. Felt by a few people, especially on upper floors. Noticeable indoors, especially on upperfloors, but may not be recognized as an earthquake. Felt by many indoors, few outdoors. May feel like heavy truck passing by. Felt by almost everyone, some people awakened. Small objects moved. trees and poles may shake. Felt by everyone. Difficult to stand. Some heavy furniture moved, some plaster falls. Chimneys may be slightly damaged. Slight to moderate damage in well built, ordinary structures. Considerable damage to poorly built structures. Some walls may fall. Little damage in specially built structures. Considerable damage to ordinary buildings, severe damage to poorly built structures. Some walls collapse. Considerable damage to specially built structures, buildings shifted off foundations. Ground cracked noticeably. Wholesale destruction. Landslides. Most masonry and frame structures and their foundations destroyed. Ground badly cracked. Landslides. Wholesale destruction. Total damage. Few, if any, structures standing. Bridges destroyed. Wide cracks in ground. Waves seen on ground. Total damage. Waves seen on ground. Objects thrown up into air.
Appendix C Hazard Severity Indices
The Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale
F-Scale Number Intensity Phrase Wind Speed 40-72 mph Type of Damage Done Some damage to chimneys; breaks branches off trees; pushes over shallow-rooted trees; damages sign boards. The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed; peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off the roads; attached garages may be destroyed. Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light object missiles generated. Roof and some walls torn off well constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in fores uprooted Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters; trees debarked; steel re-inforced concrete structures badly damaged. These winds are very unlikely. The small area of damage they might produce would probably not be recognizable along with the mess produced by F4 and F5 wind that would surround the F6 winds. Missiles, such as cars and refrigerators would do serious secondary damage that could not be directly identified as F6 damage. If this level is ever achieved, evidence for it might only be found in some manner of ground swirl pattern, for it may never be identifiable through engineering studies
F0
Gale tornado
F1
Moderate tornado
73112 mph
F2
Significant tornado
113157 mph 158206 mph 207260 mph
F3
Severe tornado
F4
Devastating tornado
F5
Incredible tornado
261318 mph
F6
Inconceivable tornado
319379 mph
Appendix C Hazard Severity Indices
Palmer Drought Severity Index
Appendix C Hazard Severity Indices
APPENDIX D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County Floodway Parcels May 2010 % Total Agricultural Parcels Parcels Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant 77 41 118 Parcels 397 146 543 Parcels 38 3 41 Parcels 981 302 1,283 Parcels 165 164 329 Parcels 1,658 656 % Total Parcels 1.37 0.54 % Total Parcels 0.14 0.14 0.27 % Total Parcels 0.81 0.25 1.05 % Total Parcels 0.02 0 0.02 % Total Parcels 0.33 0.11 0.44 0.05 0.02 0.1
% Total Acres 2.69 0.49 3.18 % Total Acres 0.43 0.11 0.56 % Total Acres 0.57 0 0.58 % Total Acres 0.93 0.15 1.09 % Total Acres 0.91 0.54 1.46 % Total Acres 5.55 1.32
Total 2,314 1.91 27,403.16 6.88 INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with the floodway as defined by the North Carolina Flood Mapping Program. All parcels that intersect the floodway, 100 year floodplain, or 500 year floodplain were tagged. A SQL query was then used to get the parcel count and total acres, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it intersects the floodway or floodplains; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; expected flood depth at various parts of the parcel; and ground‐floor elevation of the buildings of the parcel.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County Floodway Parcel Values May 2010
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Total Value $244,622,500.00 $23,421,900.00 $268,044,400.00 Total Value $431,744,300.00 $33,050,000.00 $464,794,300.00 Total Value $47,649,600.00 $810,200.00 $48,459,800.00 Total Value $203,280,800.00 $12,417,700.00 $215,698,500.00 Total Value $425,236,000.00 $29,185,000.00 $454,421,000.00 Total Value $1,352,533,200.00 $98,884,800.00 $1,451,418,000.00 Land Value $174,457,400.00 $23,180,000.00 $197,637,400.00 Land Value $160,823,840.00 $32,623,100.00 $193,446,940.00 Land Value $16,700,300.00 $810,200.00 $17,510,500.00 Land Value $68,236,500.00 $11,949,000.00 $80,185,500.00 Land Value $178,526,800.00 $28,637,700.00 $207,164,500.00 Land Value $598,744,840.00 $97,200,000.00 $695,944,840.00 Building Value $68,456,000.00 $215,200.00 $68,671,200.00 Building Value $259,263,800.00 $414,000.00 $259,677,800.00 Building Value $30,744,900.00 $0.00 $30,744,900.00 Building Value $133,126,300.00 $272,900.00 $133,399,200.00 Building Value $131,756,700.00 $471,500.00 $132,228,200.00 Building Value $623,347,700.00 $1,373,600.00 $624,721,300.00 Improved Value $1,709,100.00 $26,700.00 $1,735,800.00 Improved Value $11,656,660.00 $12,900.00 $11,669,560.00 Improved Value $204,400.00 $0.00 $204,400.00 Improved Value $1,918,000.00 $195,800.00 $2,113,800.00 Improved Value $114,952,500.00 $75,800.00 $115,028,300.00 Improved Value $130,440,660.00 $311,200.00 $130,751,860.00
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with the floodway as defined by the North Carolina Flood Mapping Program. All parcels that intersect the floodway, 100 year floodplain, or 500 year floodplain were tagged. A SQL query was then used to get the total of the market values, land values, building values, and improved values, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it intersects the floodway or floodplains; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; expected flood depth at various parts of the parcel; and ground‐floor elevation of the buildings of the parcel.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County 100‐yr Floodplain Parcels May 2010
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Parcels 307 186 493 Parcels 839 255 1,094 Parcels 57 3 60 Parcels 3,434 1,064 4,498 Parcels 287 410 697 Parcels 4,924 1,918 6,842 % Total Parcels 4.07 1.59 5.67 % Total Parcels 0.23 0.34 0.57 % Total Parcels 2.84 0.87 3.73 % Total Parcels 0.05 0 0.05 % Total Parcels 0.69 0.2 0.91 % Total Parcels 0.25 0.15 0.4 Acres 22,548.32 6,562.27 29,110.59 Acres 4,399.24 745.7 5,144.93 Acres 3,124.05 13.42 3,137.46 Acres 13,653.54 2,340.84 15,994.37 Acres 38,535.83 6,606.56 45,142.39 Acres 82,260.99 16,268.79 98,529.78 % Total Acres 20.64 4.07 24.72 % Total Acres 9.67 1.65 11.32 % Total Acres 3.43 0.58 4.01 % Total Acres 0.77 0 0.79 % Total Acres 1.1 0.18 1.28 % Total Acres 5.65 1.64 7.3
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with the floodway as defined by the North Carolina Flood Mapping Program. All parcels that intersect the floodway, 100 year floodplain, or 500 year floodplain were tagged. A SQL query was then used to get the parcel count and total acres, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it intersects the floodway or floodplains; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; expected flood depth at various parts of the parcel; and ground‐floor elevation of the buildings of the parcel.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County 100‐yr Floodplain Parcel Values
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Total Value $398,207,000.00 $90,038,200.00 $488,245,200.00 Total Value $881,601,800.00 $57,742,200.00 $939,344,000.00 Total Value $77,296,700.00 $810,200.00 $78,106,900.00 Total Value $757,970,400.00 $62,187,600.00 $820,158,000.00 Total Value $1,827,778,300.00 $73,701,500.00 $1,901,479,800.00 Total Value $3,942,854,200.00 $284,479,700.00 $4,227,333,900.00 Land Value $294,360,600.00 $88,837,200.00 $383,197,800.00 Land Value $327,198,640.00 $55,837,100.00 $383,035,740.00 Land Value $27,929,400.00 $810,200.00 $28,739,600.00 Land Value $267,985,300.00 $58,169,500.00 $326,154,800.00 Land Value $1,283,790,900.00 $72,074,800.00 $1,355,865,700.00 Land Value $2,201,264,840.00 $275,728,800.00 $2,476,993,640.00 Building Value $100,171,700.00 $900,100.00 $101,071,800.00 Building Value $531,146,900.00 $1,885,000.00 $533,031,900.00 Building Value $49,114,800.00 $0.00 $49,114,800.00 Building Value $483,378,000.00 $3,387,300.00 $486,765,300.00 Building Value $423,474,400.00 $1,285,500.00 $424,759,900.00 Building Value $1,587,285,800.00 $7,457,900.00 $1,594,743,700.00 Improved Value $3,674,700.00 $300,900.00 $3,975,600.00 Improved Value $23,256,260.00 $20,100.00 $23,276,360.00 Improved Value $252,500.00 $0.00 $252,500.00 Improved Value $6,607,100.00 $630,800.00 $7,237,900.00 Improved Value $120,513,000.00 $341,200.00 $120,854,200.00 Improved Value $154,303,560.00 $1,293,000.00 $155,596,560.00
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with the floodway as defined by the North Carolina Flood Mapping Program. All parcels that intersect the floodway, 100 year floodplain, or 500 year floodplain were tagged. A SQL query was then used to get the total of the market values, land values, building values, and improved values, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it intersects the floodway or floodplains; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; expected flood depth at various parts of the parcel; and ground‐floor elevation of the buildings of the parcel.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County Unstable Parcels (Landslide) May 2010
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Parcels 474 399 873 Parcels 330 75 405 Parcels 34 1 35 Parcels 3,033 1,845 4,878 Parcels 183 1,244 1,427 Parcels 4,054 3,564 7,618 % Total Parcels 3.35 2.96 6.32 % Total Parcels 0.15 1.02 1.17 % Total Parcels 2.51 1.52 4.03 % Total Parcels 0.02 0 0.02 % Total Parcels 0.27 0.05 0.34 % Total Parcels 0.38 0.33 0.72 Acres 40,303.76 25,463.61 65,767.39 Acres 5,293.29 432.41 5,725.70 Acres 3,179.88 13.18 3,193.08 Acres 32,301.80 6,292.77 38,594.57 Acres 61,315.25 39,901.75 101,217.00 Acres 142,394.00 72,103.75 214,497.75 % Total Acres 35.74 18.1 53.84 % Total Acres 15.39 10.02 25.4 % Total Acres 8.1 1.58 9.68 % Total Acres 0.8 0 0.8 % Total Acres 1.33 0.1 1.44 % Total Acres 10.11 6.38 16.51
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with a land stability index layer and created by the State Geologist's Office of NC DENR. This layer is a raster layer with values indicating for a given area whether those forces conducive to bringing the land down, are less or more than the forces conducive to holding the land up, for a hypothetical 125mm rainfall event. The parcels were also intersected with a layer of known and potential debris flows created by the State Geologist's Office of NC DENR. This debris flow layer is based on the land stability index described above.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
All parcels that intersect any of the known and potential debris flows, the unstable areas, or the upper threshold areas were identified. Unstable areas have a 100% probability of instability. Upper threshold areas have a greater than 50% probability of instability (but not 100%). A SQL query was then used to get the parcel count and total acres, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it the known and potential debris flows, the unstable areas, or the upper threshold areas; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; likelihood of a 125mm rainfall event; and ground‐floor elevation of the buildings of the parcel. Keep in mind that while the stability index and debris flow pathways can be used at the parcel level, they are not a substitute for a detailed site specific investigation.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County Unstable (Landslide) Parcel Value
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Total Value $528,240,600.00 $190,474,600.00 $718,715,200.00 Total Value $794,690,779.00 $45,776,300.00 $840,467,079.00 Total Value $61,783,500.00 $184,700.00 $61,968,200.00 Total Value $949,732,500.00 $191,724,950.00 $1,141,457,450.00 Total Value $2,379,544,700.00 $333,768,200.00 $2,713,312,900.00 Total Value $4,713,992,079.00 $761,928,750.00 $5,475,920,829.00 Land Value $394,915,700.00 $189,211,100.00 $584,126,800.00 Land Value $254,505,354.00 $43,743,900.00 $298,249,254.00 Land Value $22,590,200.00 $184,700.00 $22,774,900.00 Land Value $371,995,400.00 $183,777,850.00 $555,773,250.00 Land Value $1,616,019,700.00 $324,524,000.00 $1,940,543,700.00 Land Value $2,660,026,354.00 $741,441,550.00 $3,401,467,904.00 Building Value $128,934,100.00 $684,900.00 $129,619,000.00 Building Value $522,639,965.00 $2,026,000.00 $524,665,965.00 Building Value $39,038,300.00 $0.00 $39,038,300.00 Building Value $571,391,200.00 $7,567,100.00 $578,958,300.00 Building Value $385,269,200.00 $8,809,200.00 $394,078,400.00 Building Value $1,647,272,765.00 $19,087,200.00 $1,666,359,965.00 Improved Value $4,390,800.00 $578,600.00 $4,969,400.00 Improved Value $17,545,460.00 $6,400.00 $17,551,860.00 Improved Value $155,000.00 $0.00 $155,000.00 Improved Value $6,345,900.00 $380,000.00 $6,725,900.00 Improved Value $378,255,800.00 $435,000.00 $378,690,800.00 Improved Value $406,692,960.00 $1,400,000.00 $408,092,960.00
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with a land stability index layer and created by the State Geologist's Office of NC DENR. This layer is a raster layer with values indicating for a given area whether those forces conducive to bringing the land down, are less or more than the forces conducive to holding the land up, for a hypothetical 125mm rainfall event. The parcels were also intersected with a layer of known and potential debris flows created by the State Geologist's Office of NC DENR. This debris flow layer is based on the land stability index described above.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
All parcels that intersect any of the known and potential debris flows, the unstable areas, or the upper threshold areas were identified. Unstable areas have a 100% probability of instability. Upper threshold areas have a greater than 50% probability of instability (but not 100%). A SQL query was then used to get the total of the market values, land values, building values, and improved values, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it the known and potential debris flows, the unstable areas, or the upper threshold areas; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; likelihood of a 125mm rainfall event and ground‐floor elevation of the buildings of the parcel. Keep in mind that while the stability index and debris flow pathways can be used at the parcel level, they are not a substitute for a detailed site specific investigation.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County High Risk Wildfire Parcels May 2010
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Parcels 176 110 286 Parcels 228 38 266 Parcels 3 0 3 Parcels 5,444 1,335 6,779 Parcels 109 340 449 Parcels 5,960 1,823 7,783 % Total Parcels 4.94 1.5 6.44 % Total Parcels 0.09 0.28 0.37 % Total Parcels 4.51 1.11 5.61 % Total Parcels 0 0 0 % Total Parcels 0.18 0.02 0.21 % Total Parcels 0.15 0.09 0.23 Acres 10,299.00 4,983.66 15,282.67 Acres 1,396.92 91.66 1,488.58 Acres 1,090.13 0 1,090.13 Acres 12,647.66 2,625.89 15,273.57 Acres 22,413.49 7,762.85 30,176.33 Acres 47,847.21 15,464.08 63,311.30 % Total Acres 12.01 3.88 15.89 % Total Acres 5.63 1.95 7.57 % Total Acres 3.17 0.66 3.82 % Total Acres 0.27 0 0.27 % Total Acres 0.34 0.01 0.37 % Total Acres 2.58 1.25 3.83
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with a layer of wildfire risk generated by the Southern Group of State Foresters for the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment Project (http://www.southernwildfirerisk.com). This layer, calledthe Level of Concern Index, is a raster layer with values ranging from 0 to 100. The index is determined by using the probability of any given acre burning, the expectedfire size, the projected rate of fire spread, the expected suppresion difficulty (based on fuel type, topography, and soil type), and the presense of important structures (transportation, infrastructures, plantations, and urban interface).
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
All parcels that intersect any area where the level of concern was 78 or greater were tagged as being in the high wildfire risk area. All parcels that intersect any area where the level of concern was 67 or greater were tagged as being in the medium high or greater wildfire risk area. All parcels that intersect any area where the level of concern was 33or greater were tagged as being in the medium or greater wildfire risk area. A SQL query was then used to get the parcel count and total acres, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at a given risk level if any part of it intersects the given risk area; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels. Notes on the Wildfire Risk Layer The data sets and products contained within the Southern Forest Land Assessment were derived from a variety of public and private data sources. Professional care and caution were exercised in the creation of these data sets and products; however, they are provided on an ?as is? basis. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Group of State Foresters, Southern Group of State Foresters Geographic Information System Task Force, any and all participating agencies and personnel, or any of the data providers cannot be held accountable or be warranted any responsibility for errors, omissions, or positional accuracy in the digital data or underlying records. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, including the warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, accompanying any of these data sets and products. The Southern Forest Land Assessment data sets were freely available to the public (unless otherwise indicated) and may be distributed or copied as necessary. Although, there are no constraints to applications or usage of the data sets; acknowledgement of the principals USDA Forest Service and Southern Group of State Foresters as the source for these products, whether presented as primary outputs or the foundation for additionally derived products should be clearly stated. Users should be aware that temporal changes have occurred since these data sets were collected and that some parts of this data may no longer represent present surface conditions. Users should not use this data for any other applications without a full awareness of its limitations. For more information see Jacobs, J., R Srinivasan, and B. Barber. 2008. Southern Forest Land Assessment: A cooperative project of the Southern Group of State Foresters. Texas Forest Service, College Station.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Buncombe County High Risk Wildfire Parcel Values May 2010
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Total Value $118,079,800.00 $40,400,500.00 $158,480,300.00 Total Value $186,117,600.00 $7,450,500.00 $193,568,100.00 Total Value $4,918,700.00 $0.00 $4,918,700.00 Total Value $924,139,700.00 $64,904,200.00 $989,043,900.00 Total Value $470,974,200.00 $73,703,100.00 $544,677,300.00 Total Value $1,704,230,000.00 $186,458,300.00 $1,890,688,300.00 Land Value $89,007,200.00 $40,047,900.00 $129,055,100.00 Land Value $64,030,200.00 $7,346,500.00 $71,376,700.00 Land Value $2,256,400.00 $0.00 $2,256,400.00 Land Value $276,540,700.00 $59,684,600.00 $336,225,300.00 Land Value $404,141,500.00 $71,437,400.00 $475,578,900.00 Land Value $835,976,000.00 $178,516,400.00 $1,014,492,400.00 Building Value $27,711,800.00 $0.00 $27,711,800.00 Building Value $107,996,200.00 $0.00 $107,996,200.00 Building Value $2,603,500.00 $0.00 $2,603,500.00 Building Value $640,560,500.00 $4,684,100.00 $645,244,600.00 Building Value $53,498,300.00 $1,478,300.00 $54,976,600.00 Building Value $832,370,300.00 $6,162,400.00 $838,532,700.00 Improved Value $1,360,800.00 $352,600.00 $1,713,400.00 Improved Value $14,091,200.00 $104,000.00 $14,195,200.00 Improved Value $58,800.00 $0.00 $58,800.00 Improved Value $7,038,500.00 $535,500.00 $7,574,000.00 Improved Value $13,334,400.00 $787,400.00 $14,121,800.00 Improved Value $35,883,700.00 $1,779,500.00 $37,663,200.00
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with a layer of wildfire risk generated by the Southern Group of State Foresters for the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment Project (http://www.southernwildfirerisk.com). This layer, calledthe Level of Concern Index, is a raster layer with values ranging from 0 to 100. The index is determined by using the probability of any given acre burning, the expectedfire size, the projected rate of fire spread, the expected suppresion difficulty (based on fuel type, topography, and soil type), and the presense of important structures (transportation, infrastructures, plantations, and urban interface).
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
All parcels that intersect any area where the level of concern was 78 or greater were tagged as being in the high wildfire risk area. All parcels that intersect any area where the level of concern was 67 or greater were tagged as being in the medium high or greater wildfire risk area. All parcels that intersect any area where the level of concern was 33or greater were tagged as being in the medium or greater wildfire risk area. A SQL query was then used to get the total of the market values, land values, building values, and improved values, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation. This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at a given risk level if any part of it intersects the given risk area; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels. The adjusted market value is 1.25 times the total market value. Notes on the Wildfire Risk Layer The data sets and products contained within the Southern Forest Land Assessment were derived from a variety of public and private data sources. Professional care and caution were exercised in the creation of these data sets and products; however, they are provided on an ?as is? basis. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Group of State Foresters, Southern Group of State Foresters Geographic Information System Task Force, any and all participating agencies and personnel, or any of the data providers cannot be held accountable or be warranted any responsibility for errors, omissions, or positional accuracy in the digital data or underlying records. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, including the warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, accompanying any of these data sets and products. The Southern Forest Land Assessment data sets were freely available to the public (unless otherwise indicated) and may be distributed or copied as necessary. Although, there are no constraints to applications or usage of the data sets; acknowledgement of the principals USDA Forest Service and Southern Group of State Foresters as the source for these products, whether presented as primary outputs or the foundation for additionally derived products should be clearly stated. Users should be aware that temporal changes have occurred since these data sets were collected and that some parts of this data may no longer represent present surface conditions. Users should not use this data for any other applications without a full awareness of its limitations. For more information see Jacobs, J., R Srinivasan, and B. Barber. 2008. Southern Forest Land Assessment: A cooperative project of the Southern Group of State Foresters. Texas Forest Service, College Station.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Parcels at Greater Than 3,000 Feet in Elevation
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Parcels 210 247 457 Parcels 15 1 16 Parcels 3 0 3 Parcels 1,665 2,090 3,755 Parcels 74 836 910 Parcels 1,967 3,174 5,141 % Total Parcels 1.62 2.63 4.26 % Total Parcels 0.05 0.68 0.75 % Total Parcels 1.37 1.73 3.1 % Total Parcels 0 0 0 % Total Parcels 0 0 0 % Total Parcels 0.17 0.2 0.37 Acres 20,474.46 18,392.49 38,866.94 Acres 2,524.38 1 2,525.38 Acres 2,162.16 0 2,162.16 Acres 18,269.15 5,334.83 23,603.99 Acres 55,953.25 30,565.71 86,518.96 Acres 99,383.42 54,294.03 ,153,677.45 % Total Acres 24.94 13.63 38.56 % Total Acres 14.03 7.67 21.71 % Total Acres 4.59 1.34 5.92 % Total Acres 0.54 0 0.54 % Total Acres 0.62 0 0.62 % Total Acres 5.13 4.61 9.76
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with the LIDAR elevation file for Buncombe County. All parcels that contained at least one elevation value of 3000 feet or above were tagged. A SQL query was then used to get the parcel count and total acres, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it is over 3000 feet; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; expected ice or snow accumulutation at various parts of the parcel; and the probability of winter storms affecting the parcel. Furthermore, the elevation cutoff of 3000 feet is not based on any risk analysis but rather is the cutoff value chosen by Buncombe County for finding parcels at risk from winter storms.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
Parcel Values at Greater Than 3,000 Feet in Elevation
Agricultural Occupied Vacant Total Commercial Occupied Vacant Total Industrial Occupied Vacant Total Residential Occupied Vacant Total Other Occupied Vacant Total Total Occupied Vacant Total Total Value $157,354,100.00 $120,872,200.00 $278,226,300.00 Total Value $21,109,800.00 $24,600.00 $21,134,400.00 Total Value $3,636,000.00 $0.00 $3,636,000.00 Total Value $580,122,900.00 $204,952,300.00 $785,075,200.00 Total Value $1,386,520,300.00 $226,492,500.00 $1,613,012,800.00 Total Value $2,148,743,100.00 $552,341,600.00 $2,701,084,700.00 Land Value $125,940,000.00 $120,530,900.00 $246,470,900.00 Land Value $13,765,200.00 $20,000.00 $13,785,200.00 Land Value $3,533,700.00 $0.00 $3,533,700.00 Land Value $201,844,900.00 $198,639,300.00 $400,484,200.00 Land Value $1,352,086,100.00 $224,380,500.00 $1,576,466,600.00 Land Value $1,697,169,900.00 $543,570,700.00 $2,240,740,600.00 Building Value $30,233,900.00 $0.00 $30,233,900.00 Building Value $6,190,300.00 $0.00 $6,190,300.00 Building Value $43,500.00 $0.00 $43,500.00 Building Value $375,343,900.00 $6,014,900.00 $381,358,800.00 Building Value $33,684,800.00 $1,850,000.00 $35,534,800.00 Building Value $445,496,400.00 $7,864,900.00 $453,361,300.00 Improved Value $1,180,200.00 $341,300.00 $1,521,500.00 Improved Value $1,154,300.00 $4,600.00 $1,158,900.00 Improved Value $58,800.00 $0.00 $58,800.00 Improved Value $2,934,100.00 $298,100.00 $3,232,200.00 Improved Value $749,400.00 $262,000.00 $1,011,400.00 Improved Value $6,076,800.00 $906,000.00 $6,982,800.00
INFORMATION: To generate this report, the May 28, 2010 Buncombe County tax parcels were used as a starting point. ArcGIS from ESRI was used to intersect the parcels with the LIDAR elevation file for Buncombe County. All parcels that contained at least one elevation value of 3000 feet or above were tagged. A SQL query was then used to get the total of the market values, land values, building values, and improved values, classified by occupancy (vacant/occupied) and parcel type (agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and other). Note that 'agricultural' includes horticultural and forested lands, and 'other' includes parcels classed for community services, parks, public service, and recreation.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas
This report is conservative because it treats an entire parcel at risk if any part of it is over 3000 feet; therefore the parcel count and total acreage are higher than might be the case if other factors were considered. These other factors include locations of buildings on the parcels; expected ice or snow accumulutation at various parts of the parcel; and the probability of winter storms affecting the parcel. Furthermore, the elevation cutoff of 3000 feet is not based on any risk analysis but rather is the cutoff value chosen by Buncombe County for finding parcels at risk from winter storms.
Appendix D Parcel Count and Values for Hazard Areas