Hocking County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan-2005

Hocking County Emergency Management Agency Pre-Disaster Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Page 1 of 37 I.. Some of the agencies include but are not limited to: Hocking County Regional Plan

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Hocking County Emergency Management Agency Pre-Disaster Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan

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I Documentation of the Planning Process

The four phases of Emergency Management are: (1) Mitigation: Any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from a hazard event Mitigation, also known as prevention, encourages long-term reduction of hazard

vulnerability The goal of mitigation is to save lives and reduce property damage Mitigation can accomplish this, and should be cost effective and environmentally sound This, in turn, can reduce the enormous cost of disasters to property owners and all levels

of government In addition, mitigation can protect critical community facilities, reduce exposure to liability, and minimize community disruption (2) Preparedness: Plans and preparations made to save lives and property and to facilitate response operations (3) Response: Actions taken to provide emergency assistance, save lives, minimize property damage, and speed recovery immediately following a disaster (4) Recovery: Actions taken to return to a normal or improved operating condition following a disaster.(FEMA) These are the basic building blocks that the Hocking County Emergency Management

Agency (HCEMA) follows to protect lives and property, and to reduce economic loss

and any future damages that the county may endure HCEMA has taken on the task of participating in the Fiscal Year 2003 Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Planning Initiative A plan will be developed to address mitigation for natural hazards in Hocking County Thisdocument will identify natural hazard risks in Hocking County, along with possible mitigation activities in order to eliminate and/or lessen damages associated with these disasters

This plan was established by following the rules and regulations of the Federal Register under 201.6 Local Mitigation Plans The plan was then revised following suggested

guidelines in the Ohio planning guidebook interim guidance document, prepared by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency (Ohio EMA) The CORE group members were active in developing this plan The most current information available was used and dates are noted with the statistics Information in this document is subject to change (new buildings/structures, updated statistics etc.) and will be implemented into the plan when available

Hocking County was awarded a grant in the amount of $19,471.00 to develop a Disaster Mitigation Plan for natural hazards A local match of $6,490.00 is required The plan must be completed prior to November, 2004, to maintain eligibility for Stafford Act disaster assistance

Pre-Various agencies and departments contributed information to the Plan Some of the agencies include but are not limited to: Hocking County Regional Planning Office, Hocking County Auditors’ Office, Hocking County Mapping and Drafting Department, Hocking County Engineer, Hocking County EMA, Hocking County Sewer Department, ODNR-Division of Forestry, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Hocking County Commissioners, Township Trustees and Clerks, Logan Mayor, Logan City Water and Sewer Departments, Logan-Hocking School District, Hocking Soil and Water

Conservation District, Hocking County Health Department, Ohio EPA, The Ohio State University Extension, Fire Departments, Hocking County Firefighters Association,

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Logan Hocking Chamber of Commerce/Hocking County Community Improvement Corporation, Hocking Hills Tourism Association, Murray City Mayor, and Laurelville Village Council

A CORE GROUP

Bob Burris, Hocking County Regional Planner, Barbara Bunthoff, Hocking County EMADirector, Gary Starner, Hocking County Commissioner, and Debbie Later, Hocking Soil and Water Conservation District Program Administrator, met and selected a list of COREcommittee members to be included in the development of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) The group was formed based upon the information and knowledge that was needed to develop the NHMP The following individuals are experts in their fields with the knowledge and leadership needed to help organize the plan These committee members will offer insight into the problems and concerns that Hocking County is faced with The CORE Group included the following members:

Barbara Bunthoff ……… Hocking County EMA DirectorRobert Burris, P.E… ………… ……… Hocking County Regional Planning OfficeAudie Wykle……… Appalachia Ohio Alliance Advisory Committee Technical AdvisorGary Starner……… ……….Hocking County CommissionerAllan Johnson……… ………… Hocking Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD)Debbie Later………Hocking SWCDClark Sheets, Jr.………Hocking SWCD/Marion Township TrusteeBob West……… ……….……… Laurelville Village CouncilRoger Shaw………….….… ……… DeveloperDon Davis…….……….……… … ……The Ohio State University ExtensionSteve Williams……… ………Ohio EPAMark Samuels…….…….………… ……… …The Logan Daily News Sharon Koon…… ………Murray City Village MayorSteve Stirn……….……….Logan-Hocking School District SuperintendentBill Rinehart…… Logan-Hocking Chamber of Commerce/Hocking County Community

Improvement CorporationRay Dennis… ……….……… … Hocking County Health DepartmentMike Walsh……….… ……….……….Mayor of City of LoganDave Glass………Hocking State Forest Manager

In addition to the Core Group listed above, Trustees or Clerks from nine of the eleven townships participated in one or more of the Core Group meetings The jurisdictions’ information was provided through their representatives on the Core Group All

Township Trustees and Clerks were invited to all Core Group Meetings by individual personal letters sent to their homes

Bob Miller, President of the Hocking County Fire Fighters’ Association, which

represents all fire departments in Hocking County (including volunteer fire departments) was invited to the meetings and attended or had a representative attend the meetings and gave input into the plan on behalf of all the fire departments

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Local businesses and companies were represented through the Logan-Hocking Chamber

of Commerce/Hocking County Community Improvement Corporation representative Educators were represented through the Logan-Hocking School District Superintendent

or his representative The Appalachia Ohio Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated

to the stewardship of Appalachia Ohio and the cultural heritage of its people, was

represented on the Core Group by Audie Wykle, their Advisory Committee Technical Advisor The Hocking Soil and Water Conservation District, whose staff worked on the research and writing of this plan and was represented by two Board Members on the CoreGroup, is a non-profit government agency with a Board of Supervisors who are elected

by the public to represent them in charting the course for soil and water conservation and natural resources management The representatives mentioned in this paragraph were invited to all Core Group Meetings, by personal letter

We held four Core Group Meetings during the development of the Draft Plan and all jurisdictions were invited The local newspaper was invited to all meetings and all meetings were open to the public A representative of the newspaper attended some of the meetings

Representatives of the Hocking SWCD and Hocking County Regional Planning Office met with Dave Glass, ODNR-Division of Forestry, Hocking State Forest Manager, on May 26, 2004, and discussed in detail the wildfire strategies for both hazards and trainingfor the County

A public review of the proposed plan was held on December 15, 2004, from 1 p.m to 3 p.m., at the Hocking County Emergency Operations Center, 52 East Second Street, Logan, Ohio All Core Group Members, Township Trustees and Clerks, Logan City Mayor, Murray City Village Mayor, Laurelville Village Mayor, and surrounding

jurisdictions through the Athens, Fairfield, Perry, Pickaway, Ross and Vinton County Emergency Management Agencies were invited by personal letters The public was notified by a public meeting notice in the Logan Daily News, as well as a personal invitation to Mark Samuels, Editor/Publisher of the Logan Daily News These letters were mailed November 24, 2004 A request for the public notice to be published was e-mailed to Mark Samuels, Editor/Publisher of the Logan Daily News on November 24,

2004, and again on December 9, 2004 The public review meeting was also discussed with Logan Daily News reporter Jeremy Hauck on December 13, 2004, and an article was on the front page of the Logan Daily News on December 14, 2004 Notice of the public review was posted on the bulletin boards at the Hocking County Courthouse, Hocking County Emergency Operations Center and Hocking Soil and Water

Conservation District

Hocking County Regional Planners Robert Burris and Audie Wykle, attended the

Hocking County Township Trustees Association Meeting on December 20, 2004 They reviewed and discussed the Hocking County Natural Hazards Mitigation Draft Plan They passed out resolution forms to the townships present and requested that they adopt the plan for their townships and return the resolution to the Hocking Soil and Water Conservation District so it could be included in the plan

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A Timeline for Preparing the Plan

The PDM Planning timeline was used in preparing the Hocking County Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan

8/8/03 – 12/1/03 2/1/05 - 5/1/05

Implementation Meetings Public Meeting

12/1/03 – 8/1/04 5/1/05 thru 8/8/05

Finish Draft Plan

B Core Group Meetings

Grant Implementation Meeting–October 10, 2003, Hocking County Natural Hazard Mitigation Planning

The Grant Implementation meeting was held October 10, 2003 The Hocking County Emergency Management Agency will contract with the Hocking Soil and Water

Conservation District (SWCD) and the Hocking County Regional Planning Office for support on preparing the Mitigation Plan The Hocking County Regional Planning Officewill oversee the project and the Hocking SWCD will conduct the research Brigitte Bouska, State Pre-Disaster Mitigation Coordinator for Ohio EMA, provided a detailed description of the planning and grant process, presented the guidebook and the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) Barb Bunthoff, Hocking County EMA Director, Robert Burris, Hocking County Regional Planner, and Debbie Later, Hocking Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Program Administrator attended It was agreed Barb Bunthoff would complete the W9 forms and submit a resolution to the

Commissioners for Approval A Mitigation Planning Workshop was scheduled for November 13, 2003

Core Group Members were discussed among the group and with input from Hocking County Commissioner Gary Starner The Core Group members were selected as listed later in this document It was agreed to invite all Township Trustees and Clerks as well

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as Village and City Mayors to all meetings The first Core Group Meeting was scheduledfor October 23, 2003, at 3 p.m at the EOC Conference Room at 52 East Second Street in Logan The Hocking SWCD sent out a letter to all Core Group Members, Township Trustees and Clerks, and Village Mayors notifying them that we are in the process of writing a Mitigation Plan for Hocking County and asking them to become involved and help with the project

Meeting 1 – October 23, 2003 – Initial Core Group/Hazard Identification Meeting

The purpose for this meeting was to meet and familiarize the Core Group with the

purpose, process and objectives for writing the plan and to begin to identify hazards in the county Eighteen Core Group Members, etc attended the meeting

Barb Bunthoff, Hocking County EMA Director, explained that we can do absolutely no mitigation in the County if we do not get this plan completed She explained that if an entity does not want to participate, they will have to pass a resolution that they don’t want

to participate and then that entity will have to write their own plan in order to get

mitigation funding

Robert Burris explained the steps of the hazard identification process are: identify, profile, inventory assets, estimate of losses, and prioritize things we can do to minimize loss

Robert Burris led the group in Identifying the Hazards by using Worksheet #1 Task A - The following hazards were identified as hazards that may occur in Hocking County:Dam Failure

WildfireWind StormInsect DamageThunder Storm

Work Sheet #1 Task B - The most prevalent hazards in our county were identified as follows:

The group discussed past hazards that have occurred in the county and identified possiblesources of information on these occurrences

The next meeting scheduled is the Mitigation Planning Workshop on November 13,

2003, at 1:00 p.m at the Emergency Operations Center in Logan

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Meeting 2 – November 13, 2003 – Mitigation Planning Workshop

The Mitigation Planning Workshop was held at the Emergency Operations Center

Conference Room with 20 Core Group Members, Township Trustees and Clerks, etc attending Rick Warren gave the presentation

Meeting 3 – February26, 2004 – Core Group Meeting

This meeting was held at the Keynes Building Conference Room located at 88 South Market Street in Logan It was originally scheduled for the EOC Conference Room but had to be moved at the scheduled meeting time due to a scheduling conflict with the room Attendees were notified as they entered the EOC that the meeting had been moved

to the Keynes Building just across the alley Fifteen Core Group Members, Township Trustees and Clerks, etc attended Robert Burris conducted the meeting

The purpose of this meeting was to select the most prevalent natural hazards, look at damage factors associated with these hazards, and discuss possible mitigation projects

The group discussed principal areas where the damages occur and estimated dollar valuesfor property in these areas This information was further discussed at the April 21 Core Group Meeting and the information gathered as these two meetings will be addressed later in this plan

Meeting 4 – April 21, 2004 – Core Group Meeting

This meeting was held at the EOC Conference Room in Logan with 12 Core Group Members, Township Trustees and Clerks, etc attending The meeting was conducted by Robert Burris

The purpose of this meeting was to further discuss principal areas where damages occur, estimated dollar value and to begin discussing and selecting possible projects for the major hazards

Meeting 5 – December 15, 2004 – Public Review Meeting

This meeting was held at the EOC Conference Room in Logan with 13 Core Group Members, Township Trustees and Clerks, etc attending The meeting was conducted by Robert Burris

The purpose of this meeting was to give the core group, townships, and jurisdictions, as well as the public, a chance to review the second draft of the Hocking County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan and give their input Robert Burris explained the purpose of the plan and the process of the development of the plan He also explained that it had been submitted to the state for review and we received their comments on November 5, 2004 Robert Burris and Audie Wykle reviewed the plan’s contents and discussed the

mitigation strategies

Barbara Bunthoff noted that mitigation buyouts can only be done immediately after an emergency declaration Barbara Bunthoff, Hocking County EMA Director, noted that

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Salt Creek Township should be mentioned in the plan because they have had more declarations for flooding than any other township, and the roads need elevated and culverts need resized She also requested that information be added concerning the snow

in 1993 and 1994 She has a list of emergency declarations for Hocking County that she will provide so they can be added to the plan

Don Davis, of The Ohio State University Extension, suggested reconsidering including insect damage in the plan due to the threat of Gypsy Moth, Emerald Ash Borer and the new problems with oak trees and the affect these could have on tourism in the county Don Davis also suggested encouraging the Ohio Department of Transportation to elevate low places in the state highways to increase access for emergency vehicles during

flooding Two areas where this is an issue during flooding is State Route 93 South and North

Eugene Taulbee, Falls Township Trustee, reported that they are having problems with beaver dams causing flooding and damage to some of their roads and requested that they

be added to Mitigation Strategy number 10

Falls Township (includes Falls Gore Township)

Good Hope Township

Green Township

Laurel TownshipMarion TownshipPerry TownshipSalt Creek TownshipStarr TownshipWard TownshipWashington Township

Village Mayors agreed to participate in the planning process A letter was sent out stating the following:

We are in the process of writing a Mitigation Plan for Hocking County The Hocking County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has received a grant to write the plan The Hocking County EMA has contracted with Bob Burris and Audie Wykle of the Hocking County Regional Planning Office to oversee the project and the Hocking Soil and Water Conservation District to do the research and write the plan We are asking you

to become involved and help with this project by sitting on the Core Group It is

important to have a wide variety of participation in the group

This project is very crucial for the county because after 2005, if we do not have a

Mitigation Plan in place, all entities in the county will not be eligible for FEMA funding

or any mitigation work This would also include funding for any disasters (natural or manmade) such as flooding, tornadoes, etc

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We have scheduled the first meeting for the Core Group for Thursday, October 23, 2003,

at 3 p.m in the Emergency Operations Center Conference Room located at 52 East Second Street, Logan Please plan to attend

Each township, village or city will need to come up with a project for their jurisdiction,

so if funding becomes available, the project is planned and ready to be implemented (Robert Burris, Hocking County Regional Planner)

Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment

A Community Profile

Hocking County Ohio, was formed from parts of Athens, Fairfield and Ross Counties by

an act of the Ohio Legislature on March 1, 1818 As new counties were formed, the boundaries of Hocking County changed until 1850, when the current boundaries were established

Hocking County is located in the southeastern part of Ohio It is bounded on the north byPerry and Fairfield Counties, on the west by Pickaway and Ross Counties, on the south

by Vinton County, and on the east and southeast by Athens County Hocking County has

an area of 269,440 acres, or 421 square miles The population in 2000 was 28,241 The County Seat of Hocking County is Logan

The primary land use in Hocking County is woodland Forest land comprises

approximately 198,854 acres, or about 74 percent of the total land in the county

Recreation and tourism are also very important land uses in the county The Hocking Hills had 2,021,126 people visit in 2003 (Logan Daily News 2/27/04) The county has Hocking Hills State Park (which contains many different parks), Hocking Hills State Forest, Tar Hollow State Park, Wayne National Forest, and Clear Creek Metro Park These parks and forests cover approximately 39,617 acres (ODNR brochures, US Forest Service, and Hocking County Plat Book) U.S Route 33 and State Routes 56, 78, 93,

180, 216, 278, 312, 327, 328, 374, 595, 664, 668, and 678 along with the Hocking River run through the county With the scheduled opening of the U.S Route 33/Lancaster By-Pass, the County has and will continue to see major population growth and development Residential growth will likely occur along the U.S Route 33 corridor Flood Plain regulations will prohibit development in any flood prone areas Based on census data, thepopulation of Hocking County is growing at less than 1 percent Probably no more than

1 (20 to 30 lot) subdivision will be approved per year Subdivisions are regulated by the City and County Planning Commissions (See Exhibit H for a table of existing land use densities in the identified hazard areas.)

Hocking County has a continental climate characterized by wide annual and daily ranges

in temperatures Winters are cold and snowy Summers are warm and humid and are

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occasionally marked by very hot days Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year The normal annual precipitation is adequate for all the crops commonly grown in the county The growing season in the valleys differs slightly from that on the ridgetops In the winter, the average temperature is 32 degrees F, and the average daily minimum temperature is 21 degrees The lowest temperature on record, which occurred on January

28, 1963, is -27 degrees In the Summer the average temperature is 71 degrees, and the average daily maximum temperature is 85 degrees The highest recorded temperature, which occurred on July 14, 1954, is 104 degrees The average annual rainfall is about 40 inches Heavy rains, which occur at any time of the year, and severe thunderstorms in summer cause flash flooding, particularly in narrow valleys Thunderstorms occur on about 45 days each year The average seasonal snowfall is about 30 inches The

prevailing wind is from the northwest Average wind speed is highest, 8 miles per hour,

in spring.

(Soil Survey of Hocking County, Ohio, USDA Soil Conservation Service, Sept 1989; Ohio Department of Transportation; and World Climate.Com)

Roads – Total 794.38 miles

State Roads ………164.81 milesCounty Roads……… 213.70 milesTownship Roads……….415.87 miles

Infrastructure/Bridges/Roads:

Bridges

Total number of bridges within the county……… 272

2003 Replacement Cost……….… ………$18,842,400.00

(Hocking County Engineers Office)

Water Supply Systems and Water Distribution Lines

Subdivision: Hocking County Engineer

Infrastructure Replacement Cost Total (Units)

Subdivision: Village of Laurelville

Water Distribution $1,260,000 18 Thousand Linear Feet

Subdivision: City of Logan

Water Distribution $ 8,000,000 158 Thousand Linear Feet

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Subdivision: Village of Murray City

Water Distribution $1,015,000 21 Thousand Linear Feet(Ohio Public Works Commission Capital Improvement Reports)

LE-AX Water District has approximately 60 miles of water distribution lines and Old Straitsville Water Association, Inc has approximately 75 miles of water distribution lines in Hocking County These companies supply water to rural areas in the County

Wastewater Systems and Collection

Subdivision: Hocking County

Wastewater Collection $700,000 6.93 Thousand Linear Feet

Subdivision: City of Logan

Wastewater Collection $ 9,000,000 90 Thousand Linear FeetSubdivision: Village of Murray City

(Ohio Public Works Commission Capital Improvement Reports)

Public Utilities

The Public Utility Value of the utilities in Hocking County is approximately

$144,446,371

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Telephone Lines

The following telephone companies own lines in Hocking County:

Telephone Company Approximate Public Utility

Value

Approximate Real Estate Value

Approximate Total Value

Ohio Bell Telephone $ 1,133,600 $38,314 $ 1,171,914Chillicothe Telephone Co $ 52,000 0 $ 52,000

(Hocking County Auditor 6/14/04)

There are also numerous cell phone companies that serve the county and own towers, etc

Public Utilities Other Than Telephone

Below is a summary of taxable property owned by the top ten public utilities in the County (other than telephone companies):

Public Utility

Public Utility Value

Real Estate Value

Total Value

Columbia Gas Transmission $ 84,801,257 $ 828,114 $85,629,371

South Central Power $ 8,106,171 $ 12,000 $ 8,118,171Columbus Southern Power $ 7,875,542 0 $ 7,875,542

Vectren Energy Delivery $ 4,730,828 0 $ 4,730,828Cincinnati Gas & Electric $ 984,543 0 $ 984,543Indiana & Ohio Central RR $ 713,343 $ 189,000 $ 902,343

The only critical facilities vulnerable to any type of natural hazard are: Good Hope Volunteer Fire Department, Laurelville Fire Department, Murray City Fire Department,

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(2000 U.S Census)

Approximate Values Number of Parcels Land Buildings Total

Residential: 15,655 $219,939,371 $589,944,714 $ 809,884,085Commercial: 612 $ 12,719,580 $ 22,048,486 $ 34,768,066Industrial: 48 $ 3,463,171 $ 18,110,800 $ 21,573,971Agricultural: 1,540 $ 46,260,600 $ 49,607,114 $ 95,867,714Other: 1,522 $ 45,357,371 $ 94,832,829 $ 143,190,200TOTALS 19,377 $327,740,093 $777,543,943 $1,105,284,036(Hocking County Auditor)

*Exhibit B has additional statistics for Hocking County including: Education, Manufacturing, Transportation and Housing, Population by Government Units, Commuting, Economic Structure, and Census of Agriculture

Information provided in this section was gathered through the sources mentioned above

as well as from the National Flood Insurance Plan, the Hocking County Comprehensive Plan (which is currently being updated), the Hocking County Emergency Operations Plan, and information gathered from the Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism

Advisory Team, etc

Natural Hazards in Hocking County

Hocking County is susceptible to a variety of natural hazards, which include: dam failure,drought, earthquakes, expansive soils, extreme heat, floods, hailstorms, land subsidence, landslides, severe winter storms, tornadoes, wildfires, windstorms, insect damage, and thunder storms On page 5 of this document, you will note that the Core Group reduced the list from Task A to the list in Task B The natural hazards listed in Task A but not included in Task B (earthquake, hail storm, land slide, tornado and insect damage) were eliminated by the group due to limited or no occurrence in Hocking County in recorded history and will not be discussed further in this document The following items identified

in Task B will be discussed further: dam failure, drought, extreme heat, flood, land subsidence, severe winter storm, wildfire, wind storm, and thunder storm

Estimation of losses was based on the fact that contents are normally rated at 50 percent

of the value of a structure Flooding on the first floor damages are estimated at 10

percent of the content value from experience in evaluating flood damages in Ohio For estimating purposes, flooding damages to yards and outdoor equipment are less than one percent of the structure value Therefore for wind damage, general flooding and other storm related damages a one percent of structure value gives a reasonable estimate of potential losses

Since January 1, 1964, excluding insurance, federally declared disasters in Ohio have cost more than $433 million dollars Hocking County has been declared a disaster seven times during the time period from 1964 to June 3, 2004 (See Exhibit C for map)

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Declared Disaster Total Cost

March 14, 2003 Snow and Ice Storm 40.9 Million (Total for 30

Counties impacted)March 4, 1997 Flash Flooding, Ohio River

and Flooding $20.1 Million (Total for 25 Counties impacted)

Counties impacted (entire state))

Counties impacted)

Counties impacted) (Ohio Emergency Management Agency)

NCDC-NOAA records show there have been 139 weather related events reported in Hocking County from January 1, 1950 through February 29, 2004 (See Exhibit D for a list.)

This Hazard Assessment will be identifying the natural hazards present in Hocking County including a profile of hazard events, and vulnerability and estimated losses Refer to the Exhibits as needed for maps, hazard events, and statistical information about the county The hazards that are listed in this document are listed in alphabetical order however, it does not reflect the order of importance the hazard presents

While most risks are common to the entire county, some risks are unique to certain areas The chart below will identify risks for each jurisdiction and whether they are common to the entire county or unique to certain areas

Dam

Failure Drought

Extreme Heat Flood

Land Subsidence

Severe Winter Storm

Thunder Storm Wildfire

Wind Storm Hocking

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2.1 Dam Failure

Profile of Hazard Events

Although there has never been a dam that has failed that has caused significant damage inHocking County, the region is susceptible to a dam failure but the probability is low Loss of life and property damage are the two main concerns with this hazard There are seven Class I, six Cass II, and six Class III dams located within Hocking County The map Hocking County Dams shows the locations of Class I, II, and III dams located within the county (refer to Exhibit E for map)

According to Ohio Administrative Code Rule 1501:21-13-01, dams are classified as follows:

Class I: A dam shall be placed in Class I when failure of the dam would result in

probable loss of human life Dams having a storage volume greater than five thousand acre-feet or a height of greater than sixty feet shall be placed in Class I.Class II: Dams having a storage volume greater than five hundred acre-feet or a height of

greater than forty feet shall be placed in Class II A Dam shall be placed in Class II when failure of the dam would result in at least one of the following conditions, but loss of human life is not envisioned

A possible Health Hazard, including but not limited to loss of a public

water supply or wastewater treatment facility

Probable loss of high-value property, including but not limited to flooding

or residential, commercial, industrial, publicly owned, and/or valuableagricultural structures, structural damage to downstream Class I, II or III dams, dikes or levees, or other dams, dikes or levees of high value.Damage to major roads including but not limited to interstate and state

highways, and roads which provide the only access to residential or

other critical areas such as hospitals, nursing homes, or correctional

facilities as determined by the chief

Damage to railroads, or public utilities

Class III: Dams having a height of greater than twenty-five feet, or a storage volume of

greater than fifty acre-feet, shall be placed in Class III A dam shall be placed

in Class III when failure of the dam would result in at least one of the

following conditions, but loss of human life or hazard to health is not

envisioned

Property losses including but not limited to rural buildings not otherwise listed as

high-value property in paragraph a) of this rule, and Class IV dams, dikes and

levees not otherwise listed as high-value property in paragraph a) of this rule At

the request of the dam owner, the chief may exempt dams from the criterion of this paragraph if the dam owner owns the potentially affected property

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Local roads including but not limited to roads not otherwise listed as major roads inparagraph a) of this rule.

Class IV: When failure of the dam would result in property losses restricted mainly to

the dam and rural lands, and no loss of human life or hazard to health is

envisioned, the dam may be placed in Class IV Dams which are twenty-five feet or less in height and have a storage volume of fifty acre-feet or less, may

be placed in Class IV No proposed dam shall be placed in Class IV unless theapplicant has submitted the preliminary design report required by Rule

1501:21-5-02 of the Administrative Code Class IV dams are exempt from the permit requirements of Section 1521.06 of the Revised Code pursuant to Paragraph c) of Rule 1501:21-19-01 of the Administrative Code

(Definitions from ODNR-Division of Water)

Dam failure: Catastrophic type of failure characterized by the sudden, rapid and

uncontrolled release of impounded water It is recognized that there are lesser degrees of failure and that any malfunction or abnormality outside the design assumptions and parameters which adversely affect a dam’s primary function of impounding water is properly considered a failure Such lesser degrees of failure can progressively lead to or heighten the risk of a catastrophic failure (Definition from FEMA)

Vulnerability and Estimate Losses

Hocking County’s vulnerability to dam failure is moderate Even though there are only

19 dams that fall under Class I, II or III classifications, there are a large number of

smaller dams throughout the county, the structures have potential for failure due to old age and debris congestion Surrounding structures located within the county are

susceptible to major flooding with the potential for loss of life and damage to a variety of structures There are 48 structures located below the seven Class I dams, 36 structures located below the five Class II dams, and 45 structures located below the seven Class III dams, for a total of 129 identified structures downstream of classified dams If a dam would happen to fail, and there was a 1% loss/damage to structures, bridges and utilities,

it is estimated that there would be approximately $1,296,000 worth of damage

2.2 Drought

Drought is a concern for Hocking County Even though the county is at low risk for drought conditions currently, the potential is very realistic The drought in July and August of 1999 affected the agriculture of Hocking County tremendously

Drought: A period of unusually persistent dry weather that persists long enough to cause

serious problems such as crop damage and/or water supply shortages The severity of thedrought depends upon the degree of moisture deficiency, the duration, and the size of the affected area There are four different ways that drought can be defined

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Meteorological: a measure of departure of precipitation from normal Due to climatic

differences, what might be considered a drought in one location of the country may not be a drought in another

Agricultural: refers to a situation where the amount of moisture in the soil no longer

meets the needs of a particular crop

Hydrological: occurs when surface and subsurface water supplies are below normal

Socioeconomic: refers to the situation that occurs when physical water shortages begin

to affect people

(Definitions from NOAA.)

According to the NCDC, Hocking County has had two documented droughts since 1950

Ohio

July 1, 1999 – Dry conditions that began in the spring and early summer continued into

July Excessive heat contributed to substantial crop loss across much of the Buckeye

State Rainfall was widely scattered and did little to help farmers Crop damage amounts

were not available at this time

August 1, 1999 – Drought conditions continued across the Ohio Valley through August

with most areas receiving well below normal rainfall for the month In some areas about

50% of crops and 75% of hay and pastureland were considered total losses Most

counties in southwest Ohio were declared Federal Disaster Areas by the US Department

of Agriculture At the time of this writing, no monetary estimates were available

concerning crop loss In September, 1999, Ohio Governor Bob Taft initiated a $5

million program for emergency hay/forage assistance and development of water sources

for drought-stricken livestock producers in Ohio Hocking County producers received

$16,357 in assistance

In 2002, the state’s forests were affected by drought and other weather conditions For

the 12-month period, precipitation was near normal However, a severe drought affected

Ohio during the 2002-growing season Many places in central and southern Ohio

received less than 50% of normal precipitation amounts during June, July and August

The drought opened the door to secondary insects, which have already caused tree

mortality and will likely continue to affect trees for a few more years Recently planted

trees and trees in Ohio’s urban forests were the most likely to be severely affected

Precipitation is critical to the growth and health of trees and forests Both quantity and

timing of precipitation is important As an example, receiving a “normal” amount of

rainfall in a given year may be of little value if it occurs in a few very heavy storm events

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compared to a number of smaller rainfall events through the growing season

(ODNR-Division of Forestry)

The U.S Drought Monitor (See Exhibit F) shows that Hocking County is not currently at

risk for a drought, nor is it expected to be at a great risk of a drought during the next year,

due to the area currently having extremely moist conditions (see Exhibit G for Palmer

Drought Index Forecast) The last two years in Hocking County have been extremely

unusual with well above average rainfalls in the spring

Vulnerability and Estimated Losses

According to the 2000 Census, there are 560 farms in Hocking County covering 64,000

acres with total cash receipts of $4,130,000 Drought can have a major impact on these

farms and the income they provide

According to the 2000 Census, 198,855 acres of Hocking County is forested This is

almost 74 percent of the land in the county The forests provide a major part of the

county’s income through tourism According to an article in the Logan Daily News on

February 27, 2004, traveler expenditures in 2001 totaled $153.6 million Hocking

County is the home of the Hocking State Forest, Hocking Hills State Parks and portions

of the Wayne National Forest and Clear Creek Metro Park These forests and parks cover

approximately 39,617 acres Drought can have a severe affect on the forests thus

impacting the tourism industry of the county and the income it provides Drought also

greatly increases the risk of wildfire, which is the County’s number 1 hazard See

Section 2.8 for further information on wildfire It can also have an impact on the county

through water shortages which could affect supplies needed for industry, fire protection,

residential use, and recreational use

Losses during a drought would include loss of crops, forestry resources and income from

tourism The estimated loss due to drought (not including wildfire losses) at 2 percent

would be $8,005,150

Extreme Heat

Hocking County has had one Excessive Heat event recorded in the NCDC-NOAA

records since 1950

Extreme Heat: Temperatures that hover 10 degrees or more above the average high

temperature for the region and lasts for several weeks Humid or muggy conditions,

which add to the discomfort of high temperatures, occur when a “dome” of high

atmospheric pressure traps hazy, damp air near the ground Exceedingly great or severe

state of being hot in which the temperature is raised A heat wave combined with

drought conditions is a very dangerous situation (FEMA)

Ohio Location or County Date Time Type Mag Dth Inj PrD CrD

Tiêu đề	Hocking County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan
Tác giả	Bob Burris, Barbara Bunthoff, Gary Starner, Debbie Later
Trường học	Hocking County Emergency Management Agency
Chuyên ngành	Natural Hazards Mitigation
Thể loại	Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan
Năm xuất bản	2005
Thành phố	Logan

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