Sumter County Hazard Mitigation Plan - University of West Alabama

212 Pages·2010·10.91 MB·English

by  Brandy Wilkerson

H A Z A R D M I T I G AT I O N
P L A N
SUMTER COUNTY, ALABAMA

INCLUDING THE TOWN OF CUBA, TOWN OF
EMELLE,TOWN OF EPES, TOWN OF GAINESVILLE,
TOWN OF GEIGER, CITY OF LIVINGSTON, AND CITY
OF YORK, SUMTER COUNTY COMMISSION, SUMTER
COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY, & SUMTER COUNTY
SCHOOL SYSTEM
The Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission prepared this plan with guidance from the
Sumter County Emergency Management Agency and the Sumter County Natural Hazards
Steering Committee.

For additional copies or if you have comments or suggestions, contact:

Sumter County EMA Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission
502 Lafayette Street 107 Broad Street
P.O. Box 99 Camden, AL 36726
Livingston, AL 35470 [phone]
[phone]

April 2009
Summary of Changes Made in Plan Update
Section I. The Hazard Mitigation Plan

The first section of the plan gives a basic overview of the need and purpose of a Hazard
Mitigation Plan. For the update, only a minimal amount changes were needed. These
changes were made by the staff of the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission under
the direction of the Sumter County EMA.

! List of participating jurisdictions was updated to include Sumter County School
System and Sumter County Water Authority.
I. The Hazard Mitigation Plan
A. SUMTER COUNTY HAZARD MITTGATION PLAN
The Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan for Sumter County, Alabama is a multi-jurisdictional, multi- hazard
mitigation plan. This plan fulfills the requirements set forth by the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000
(DMA 2000). It meets all eligibility requirements set forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) for grant assistance. This plan covers the entire county including all unincorporated areas and the
municipalities of Cuba, Emelle, Epes, Gainseville, Geiger, York and Livingston. It also covers the Sumter
County School system and Sumter County Water Authority.

B. AUTHORITY
Section 409 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (public Law 93-228, as
amended), Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations, as amended by Part 201 of the Disaster Mitigation Act of
2000 requires that all state and local governments develop a Hazard Mitigation Plan as a condition of
receiving federal disaster assistance. Sumter County’s original plan was approved March 7, 2005.

C. FUNDING
Funding was received from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to update the Natural Hazards Mitigation
Plan for Sumter County, Alabama. The Alabama Association of Regional Council received grant monies, and
the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission facilitated the planning process.

D. SCOPE
The Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan for Sumter County, Alabama includes all incorporated and
unincorporated areas in Sumter County as well as the Sumter County School System. The plan addresses all
natural hazards identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. All hazards that may affect
Sumter County and its residents are identified. Hazard mitigation strategies are discussed in terms of short
term and long-term goals. Responsibility for implementation of strategies is discussed and possible funding
sources are identified.

E.PURPOSE
“Mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management. It's the ongoing effort to lessen the impact
disasters have on people's lives and property through damage prevention and flood insurance
(http://www.fema.gov/fima/).” The Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan for Sumter County, Alabama is an
effort to evaluate and identify all natural hazards, which may affect Sumter County. It presents mitigation
strategies that address each hazard identified. This plan is only one of many steps Sumter County will take to
achieve a safer, more hazard resistant environment for its residents.

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F. MULTIJURISDICTIONAL PLANNING PARTCIPATION
All eight jurisdictions in Sumter County participated in the plan update. These jurisdictions are Sumter

County, Town of Cuba, Town of Emelle, Town of Epes, Town of Gainesville, Town of Geiger, City of
York, and City of Livingston. Participation included completing hazard questionnaires, supplying
information on critical facilities, and providing project lists. Each jurisdiction will also formally adopt the
plan once an approvable letter is received from FEMA. The Sumter County School Board of Education and
Sumter County Water Authority also participated and will formally adopt the plan. The school system and
water authority participated in the previous planning process, but did not formally adopt the plan.

All participants are continuing except for the Sumter County School Board and Sumter County Water
Authority.

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Summary of Changes Made in Plan Update
Section II. Planning Process

This section contains a variety of organizational and basic information that deals with the
update process. This information had to be revised in order to document the update
process. The Sumter County EMA along with the Alabama Tombigbee Regional
Commission reviewed this section and made all revisions.
! Outlined Natural Hazards Steering Committee’s involvement in update process
! Outlined public involvement process in plan update
! Updated Interagency and Intergovernmental Coordination Section
! Updated participated jurisdictions
! Updated reports and information sources that were consulted
II. The Planning Process
A. THE HAZARD MITIGATION STEERING COMMITTEE
The Sumter County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan was redeveloped between the Summer of 2007 and
Spring 2009. The Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission worked with the Sumter County Emergency
Management Agency to develop the plan. The plan was developed with the guidance of the Natural Hazards
Steering Committee. This committee was established in 2004 to develop the original plan. The purpose of
the committee is to ensure the interests and concerns of everyone in Sumter County are addressed. The
committee was re-evaluated for the update and new appointees were chosen for the entire five-year planning
cycle.

The following entities chose to appoint a representative to the Committee:
" Sumter EMA Director, Committee Chair
" Alabama Forestry Commission (Sumter County)
" Sumter County Water Authority
" University of West Alabama
" Sumter County Board of Education
" Sumter County Health Department
" Town of Cuba
" Town of Emelle
" Town of Epes
" Town of Gainesville
" Town of Geiger
" City of Livingston
" City of York
" Sumter County Commission

The committee was charged with the following task:

To develop and oversee a comprehensive natural hazard mitigation planning process that:
# Engages public participation and support,
# Facilitates federal, state, regional, and local agencies’ coordination,
# Constantly monitors and evaluates the potential risks of hazards to life and property
# Actively mobilizes all available community resources and measures to mitigate the threats of hazards,
# Results in programmed actions with specific results.

The majority of correspondence regarding the Natural Hazards Steering Committee took place via phone,
fax, and mail. Each jurisdiction reviewed and updated the information contained in the original plan. The
new information they provided that tailored the plan to Sumter County’s needs. The committee met on June
25, 2007 at the Sumter County EMA Office to discuss the County’s plan. This meeting was used as a forum
for all in attendance to ask any questions, make any suggestions, and review information contained in the
original plan.

Committee members provided input on the following topics:
" review of hazard information,
" review of existing plans,
" revisions to critical facilities inventory,
" revisions to critical facility values,
" revisions to goals, objectives, and possible projects;
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" revisions to plan maintenance guidelines.

The Sumter County EMA Director, Margaret A. Bishop, chose to use the same participation requirements for
the Natural Hazards Steering Committee that were used in the original planning process. Each member had
to fulfill these requirements. Each member of the committee was notified of these requirements verbally. All
members stated they understood the requirements. The requirements are as follows:
" Members, or their representative, are encouraged to attend committee meetings or notify ATRC to
receive materials and worksheets from the meeting missed
" Information requested must be submitted within the specified time frame for that material
" Full cooperation (working together, striving to resolve conflicts, showing respect) between
municipalities, Sumter County EMA, and Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission throughout the
entire planning process.

B. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
An important aspect of the planning process is involving the public at every step. Sumter County EMA and
ATRC took steps to involve the public at every juncture. The committee meeting held June 25th was also
advertised as a public meeting. Meeting notices were posted throughout the County. The purpose of the
meeting was to introduce the mitigation planning process and give the public an opportunity to participate in
the update of the plan. Each jurisdiction will also hold a public hearing prior to their adoption of the plan.
These meetings will be held in conjunction with the council/commission meetings where the plan is adopted.
Participating jurisdictions will adopt the plan once an approvable letter is received from FEMA.

C. INTERAGENCY AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION
The following state, regional, county, and local entities were contacted regarding the update process.
Information was requested from many. Many were contacted as stakeholders. The following table lists each
participating entity and how they participated. In addition all surrounding jurisdictions were contacted and
invited to review the draft and provide comments.

Entities Serving on Natural Hazards Steering Committee
for the Update
Alabama Forestry Commission (Sumter County)
Sumter County EMA
Sumter County Health Department
Sumter County Water Authority
University of West Alabama
Sumter County Board of Education
Town of Cuba
Town of Emelle
Town of Epes
Town of Geiger
Town of Gainesville
City of Livingston
City of York
Sumter County Commission

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Entities that Provided Information Information Provided
for the Update
Reviewed and updated information from original
Sumter Health and Rehabilitation plan
Reviewed and updated information from original
Sumter Opportunities, Inc. plan
Reviewed and updated information from original
Sumter County Tax Assessor plan
Reviewed and updated information from original
Sumter County Engineer’s Office plan

Entities Attending Public Meetings During the Update
Process
Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission
City of York Police Department
Livingston Department of Public Safety
Sumter County Administrator
Sumter County Attorney
Sumter County Commission
Sumter County EMA
Sumter County Engineer’s Office
Town of Emelle
University of West Alabama

Entities Invited that Chose Not to Participate in the Update Process
Alabama Department of Environmental Management Marengo County
Alabama National Guard Pickens County
Alabama Natural Resource Conservation Council Greene County
Alabama State Forestry Commission Choctaw County
Department of the Army-Corps of Engineers
National Weather Service
Natural Resource and Conservation Service
State NFIP Coordinator

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D.PARTICIPATING JURISDICTIONS
All jurisdictions within Sumter County have participated in the planning process and will adopt the final plan
by formal resolution. These jurisdictions are as follows:
" Town of Cuba
" Town of Emelle
" Town of Epes
" Town of Gainesville
" Town of Geiger
" City of Livingston
" City of York
" Sumter County Commission
" Sumter County School Board
" Sumter County Water Authority
All of these entities adopted the original plan, except the Sumter County School Board and Sumter County
Water Authority.

E. INTEGRATION WITH EXISTING PLANS
Throughout the update process those who participated in the planning process identified many plans. Some
of these plans were the same plans consulted in the original plan, but had been updated recently. These plans
were consulted for various types of information. The Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission reviewed
these documents and incorporated them as deemed necessary. All sources of information are cited
throughout the plan. These include:

" The Sumter County Emergency Operations Plan: information for hazard
identification and capabilities
" NOAA and NWS records: past occurrence data
" Flood Insurance Rate Maps: areas in flood plains
" A Strategic Plan for the Alabama Tombigbee Region: review of regional goals to ensure mitigation
goals and strategies did not conflict
" Alabama State Data Center Estimates and Projections: socio economic data
" State of Alabama :State Hazard Mitigation Plan Update : hazard information
" United States Census Bureau Census 2000 Information and Reports: statistics
" I-20/50 Corridor Study: Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Mississippi: county information
" Forest Statistics for Alabama, 2000: Forestry information
" Assessment Report: Lake L.U. Livingston, Alabama: dam failure
" Sumter County, Alabama Soil Survey: Soils Information
" Maps from Cartographic Research Laboratory, The University of Alabama
" Geologic Hazards Information the Geologic Survey of Alabama: http://www.gsa.state.al.us
" Geologic Hazard Information from the United States Geological Survey: http://www.usgs.gov
" Hazard Information from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov
" Hazard Information: http://www.hazardmaps.gov
" Landslide Information: http://www.nhoem.state.nh.us/mitigation/fig%203-17.htm
" Hazard Information from Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov
" Wildfire Information: Alabama Forestry Commission.

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