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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHazard Mitigation Progress Report 20221 CRS 510 Floodplain Management 2022 Progress Report on Implementation of Credited Plan Date: August 1, 2022 Name of Community: New Hanover County Name of Plan: Southeastern North Carolina Hazard Mitigation Plan Date Adopted: March 15, 2021 5-year CRS Expiration Date: May 24, 2022 1. Availability of Plan Copies of the plan are available for review at the New Hanover County Department of Emergency Management and Department of Planning & Land Use. The plan is available for viewing on the Emergency Management website at the following link: https://em.nhcgov.com/hazard-mitigation/ 2. Dissemination of Report: This report was prepared by Planning, Emergency Management, Engineering, Strategy, and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority staff after conducting an analysis of implementation strategies specifically related to floodplain management. After review and approval by the County Manager, the 2022 progress report will be shared with the New Hanover County governing body. The report will be submitted to the media through the county’s Communications & Outreach office, and the public may obtain this report from the New Hanover County Planning & Land Use Department’s website. 3. Review of Each Mitigation Action: The Southeastern NC Hazard Mitigation Plan is a regional, multi-jurisdictional plan with each county having its own subsection of implementation strategies. New Hanover County has 41 mitigation strategies, and the following tables provide a status update of those strategies pertinent to New Hanover County’s floodplain management program. 2 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 5 Support implementation of Stormwater Services projects as identified through system-wide assessments at the watershed- by-watershed level. This includes support for stream cleaning, debris management and removal, animal impediments, and other projects as identified to include natural and man-made structures to improve drainage and mitigate risk to life and damage to property. Review of Mitigation Action: Structure for Stormwater Services program in the unincorporated areas of the county implemented on 7/01/2020. County continues partnership with USDA on the Countywide Beaver Management program. New Hanover County Mitigation Action 6 Support and implement training and resources to enforce the NC State Building Code and applicable Fire Code and other safety lifeline codes and ordinances to ensure that all structures, including manufactured homes, are properly anchored, built to minimize potential impacts stemming from a disaster event, and provide technology to support public safety communication lifeline assets. Review of Mitigation Action: Enforcement of the NC State Building Code and Fire Code continues on an ongoing basis. During 2020, NHC began implementation of Section 510 in Fire Code – Emergency Responder Radio Coverage to enhance public safety lifeline communication efforts. 3 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 7 Secure funding to retrofit/elevate wastewater pumping stations located in the 100-year floodplain. These infrastructure components routinely flood during flooding and storm surge events. Review of Mitigation Action: CFPUA has mapped all systems, plants and infrastructure in GIS which are in floodplains and could be subject to future SLR. Pump station life-cycle is significantly less than the SLR projection timelines in the 2013 Pilot Study (50, 100 years). As such, current pump station upgrades and future pump stations are designed with flooding and SLR in mind. CFPUA has completed other pump station projects since 2013 that similarly addressed flood elevations as part of an overall upgrade. CFPUA has also initiated an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS/drone) program which will map elevations of all infrastructure (primarily pump stations) to aid with necessary data. That program is operational. New Hanover County Mitigation Action 9 Adopt updated Flood Insurance Rate Map data and Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. Continue to evaluate Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance to ensure most effective floodplain management practices are being implemented. Review of Mitigation Action: Updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps and the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance were adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on July 9, 2018. The Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance was incorporated as Article 9 of the Unified Development Ordinance upon its adoption in 2020. Staff regularly evaluates best practices in floodplain management for the consideration and implementation of potential amendments to the ordinance. New Hanover County Mitigation Action 10 New Hanover County Engineering Department will undertake revising the Stormwater Ordinance to address the current conditions located throughout the county. Review of Mitigation Action: The revised Stormwater Ordinance was adopted in 2021, and staff plans to complete the update to the Design Manual and incorporation of the Stormwater Ordinance into the UDO in 2022. 4 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 11 Update and maintain existing impact and vulnerability analysis on hazard areas to address changes to floodplain, shoreline, and inlet conditions caused by natural and man-made forces and all locally identified key resources and critical facilities that are identified through the county and municipal inventories. Review of Mitigation Action: NHC Threat/Hazard Identification Risk Analysis (THIRA) was updated in March 2022 with no changes. This information was used in the revisions to the County’s Emergency Operations Plan. The next update to the THIRA will be conducted in Q1 2023. The county performs annual surveys of approximately 130 cross-shore transects along the county’s ocean front shoreline, emphasizing the coastal storm damage reduction (CSDR) project templates for Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach. The volumetric calculations are used to assess annual shoreline morphological changes supporting (CSDR) maintenance schedules. The county’s annual and quarterly coordination of inlet management projects are orchestrated through engineering, surveying and dredging elements of the private sector as well as with state and federal agencies. In addition to periodic master planning initiatives, the county regularly assesses changes to floodplain, shoreline, inland flooding and inlet conditions caused by natural and man-made forces following disasters. 5 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 12 Identify and leverage resources and outreach opportunities to reduce and mitigate current and future risk for persons located in hazard prone properties, including, but not limited to, acquisition, elevation, retrofitting, and the conservation of open space and scenic areas and provision of public water access. Review of Mitigation Action: The county sends annual notices to repetitive loss and severe repetitive loss property owners to educate them of potential options available for assistance to include access to acquisition, elevation, and/or retrofitting of properties. Applications for support were submitted to the HMGP Program following Hurricanes Florence and Dorian, and the county has now completed ten residential acquisitions through HMGP funding for Hurricane Florence. The county also submitted applications for support to the NC Disaster Recovery Act housing assistance program, and funding was approved for four reconstruction projects and one acquisition. Emergency Management has been conducting active outreach to the community for flood awareness including a “Lunch and Learn” session offered via online resources in April 2022, beach hazards and shoreline flooding awareness outreach in partnership with the National Weather Service Weather Field Office Wilmington in June 2022, and flooding awareness information and warning dissemination via social media and community notification system assets throughout the year. Ties to Mitigation Actions 4, 13, and 14. 6 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 13 Enhance CRS programming awareness for the community, focusing on hazard awareness with floodplain development, benefits of, and resources available with participation in the CRS program. Review of Mitigation Action: Public information concerning the economic benefits of participation in the CRS is available on the county’s website. This information is also included on a mailing sent to all residents who own property in Special Flood Hazard Areas in New Hanover County. Emergency Management has been conducting active outreach to the community for flood awareness including a “Lunch and Learn” session offered via online resources in April 2022, beach hazards and shoreline flooding awareness outreach in partnership with the National Weather Service Weather Field Office Wilmington in June 2022. Ties to Mitigation Actions 4, 12, and 14. 7 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 14 Develop, conduct, deliver, and maintain multi-media all-hazard outreach programming to increase public awareness, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts which are inclusive to all populations within the County. Review of Mitigation Action: Numerous outreach efforts to include ReadyNHC, integration with non-English speaking populations, and children have been implemented. The County maintains NHCTV to help share messaging, has a strong social media presence, and incorporates numerous print and radio partners in messaging efforts. Agencies participate in numerous public safety agency outreach efforts centric to fire prevention, crime prevention, and disaster preparedness efforts. The County works with new property owners, contractors, real estate agents, builders, developers, and architects to become familiar with NFIP land use and building standards and principles for quality redevelopment and safe housing development through these written materials. These materials are available through local building inspections departments, local library branches, and online. NFIP educational materials are maintained within the applicable departments, local library branches, and online. The County maintains access to the Southeast Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan on several websites for situational awareness for participating partners and the public. Emergency Management has been conducting active outreach to the community for flood awareness including a “Lunch and Learn” session offered via online resources in April 2022, beach hazards and shoreline flooding awareness outreach in partnership with the National Weather Service Weather Field Office Wilmington in June 2022, and flooding awareness information and warning dissemination via social media and community notification system assets throughout the year. Ties to Mitigation Actions 4, 12, and 13. 8 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 16 Continue to explore technology, resources, and funding options to implement installation of sewer service in portions of the county that still rely on septic systems, particularly in areas that are subject to repetitive flooding. Review of Mitigation Action: Discussions are currently underway to potentially incorporate additional areas that currently run off well/septic into the CFPUA system. New Hanover County Mitigation Action 21 Research, develop, and implement innovative and best practice approaches to floodplain management including density tradeoffs, cluster development regulations, and additional opportunities for land donation and dedication. Review of Mitigation Action: The New Hanover County Unified Development Ordinance continues to limit density for performance subdivisions in Special Flood Hazard Areas, retain Conservation Resource standards, and allow cluster development through performance zoning. New Hanover County Mitigation Action 32 Procure additional emergency generators for wastewater pump stations within the floodplain. Assign fixed or portable generators as appropriate for site location. Review of Mitigation Action: All pump stations have been retrofitted with fixed generators for secondary power. 6-10 critical pump stations have a tertiary generator for additional redundancy. Portable generators are available for use if necessary. The County continues a partnership and support with CFPUA (ties to Mitigation Action 3) as needed to maintain this mitigation action. 9 New Hanover County Mitigation Action 38 Develop, educate, execute, and fund processes and projects which include fortified areas of refuge in new building and retrofit projects and to strengthen critical infrastructure and key resource sites from natural and man-made hazards. Review of Mitigation Action: Critical infrastructure needs have been considered and incorporated into the new Government Center building which is anticipated to be complete the end of 2022. Ensured inclusion of fortified areas of refuge in new and renovation construction efforts of County-owned facilities. Continued and developed additional training and support for departmental Emergency Action Plan efforts through NHC Risk Management with support from NHC EM. Additional opportunities will be considered on an on-going basis. 4. Implementation - Why any objectives were not reached or why implementation is behind schedule: All applicable mitigation strategies were either complete, in progress, or ongoing. 5. Recommendations for New Projects or Revised Recommendations: Some of the recommended new projects and priorities include: • Advocating for and seeking funding for projects to elevate portions of I- 40 and I-95; • Advancing strategy for stormwater management on a watershed basis through the full implementation of the Stormwater Services division to provide maintenance of stormwater conveyances and capital improvement drainage projects in the unincorporated area; • Advancing projects to increase community resilience by increasing the overall stock of affordable and workforce housing outside of the flood zone; • Conducting a study of flood prone areas in areas of county where detailed studies on Flood Insurance Rate Maps were not conducted in order to more accurately portray flood risk in these areas of the county; • Creating a programmatic framework for the future solicitation and application to grant sources; working to increase equity in grant recipients from potential future funding sources.