Okaloosa County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) 2005 Plan

Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) 2005 Plan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section One

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Okaloosa County is threatened by a number of different types of natural hazards. These hazards endanger the health and safety of the population of the county, jeopardize its economic vitality, and imperil the quality of its environment.   Because of the importance of avoiding or minimizing the vulnerabilities to these hazards, the public and private sector interests of Okaloosa County have joined together to create a Local Mitigation Strategy Committee to undertake a comprehensive planning process that has culminated in the publication of this document: “The Okaloosa County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Plan.”

The following jurisdictions are represented in the Okaloosa County LMS:

Okaloosa County Unincorporated

• The Town of Cinco Bayou
• The Town of Crestview
• The City of Destin
• The City of Ft. Walton Beach
• The town of Laurel Hill
• The Town of Mary Esther
• The Town of Niceville
• The Town of Shalimar
• The Town of Valparaiso

This Committee, entitled the Okaloosa County LMS Committee, has conducted detailed studies to identify the hazards threatening the jurisdictions of Okaloosa County and to estimate the relative risks posed to the community by those hazards.  This information has been used by the Committee to assess the vulnerabilities of the facilities and neighborhoods of Okaloosa County to the impacts of future disasters involving those hazards.  With these identified, the committee has worked to identify proposed projects and programs that will avoid or minimize these vulnerabilities to make the communities of Okaloosa County much more resistant to the impacts of future disasters.  

These projects and programs to reduce the impacts of future disasters are called “mitigation strategies” in this document. Mitigation strategies have been developed and will continue to be developed by the Committee for implementation whenever the resources to do so become available.  As the mitigation initiatives identified in this plan are implemented, step-by-step, Okaloosa County will become a more “disaster resistant” community.

This document details the work of the Okaloosa County LMS Committee over the past several months to develop the planning organization, to undertake the needed technical analyses, and to coordinate the mitigation initiatives that have been proposed by the participating jurisdictions and organizations.  Through publication of this local mitigation plan, the committee continues to solicit the involvement of the entire community to make the people, neighborhoods, businesses and institutions of Okaloosa County safer from the impacts of future disasters.

Section Two

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

Introduction

The Okaloosa County LMS Committee has been established to make the population, neighborhoods, businesses and institutions of the community more resistant to the impacts of future disasters. The Committee has been undertaking a comprehensive, detailed evaluation of the vulnerabilities of the community to all types of future natural hazards in order to identify ways to make the county more resistant to their impacts. This document reports the results of that planning process for the current planning period, as indicated in the attached table.

Purpose

The Okaloosa County LMS Plan is intended by the Committee to serve many purposes. These include the following:

Provide a Methodical, Substantive Approach to Mitigation Planning

The approach utilized by the Okaloosa County LMS Committee relies on a step-wise application of soundly based planning concepts in a methodical process to identify vulnerabilities to future disasters and to propose the mitigation initiatives necessary to avoid or minimize those vulnerabilities. Each step in the planning process builds upon the previous, so that there is a high level of assurance that the mitigation initiatives proposed by the participants has a valid basis for both their justification and priority for implementation. One key purpose of this plan is to document that process and to present its results to the community.

Enhance Public Awareness and Understanding

The LMS Committee is interested in finding ways to make the community as a whole more aware of the natural, technological and societal hazard that threaten the public health and safety, the economic vitality of businesses, and the operational capability of important institutions. The plan identifies the hazards threatening Okaloosa County and provides an assessment of the relative level of risk they pose. It also details the specific vulnerabilities of the neighborhoods of Okaloosa County and many of the facilities that are important to the community’s daily life. The plan also includes a number of proposals of ways to avoid or minimize those vulnerabilities. This information will be very helpful to individuals that wish to understand how the community could become safer from the impacts of future disasters.

The LMS Committee organization responsibility also includes disseminating meeting information to the Public as well as educating the public in ways to be more protected from the impacts of future disasters. The public information committee has been active in communicating with the public and engaging interested members of the community in the planning process. This document, and the analyses contained herein, is the principal information resource for this activity.

Create a Decision Tool for Management

The Okaloosa County LMS Plan provides information needed by the managers and leaders of local government, business and industry, community associations and other key institutions and organizations to take actions to address vulnerabilities to future disasters. It also provides proposals for specific projects and programs that are needed to eliminate or minimize those vulnerabilities.

These proposals, called “mitigation strategies” in the plan, have been justified on the basis of their economic benefits using a uniform technical analysis, as well as prioritized for implementation using ten objective criteria. This approach is intended to provide a decision tool for the management of participating organizations and agencies regarding why the proposed mitigation initiatives should be implemented, which should be implemented first, and the economic and public welfare benefits of doing so.

Promote Compliance with State and Federal Program Requirements

There are a number of state and federal grant programs, policies, and regulations that encourage or even mandate local government to develop and maintain a comprehensive hazard mitigation plan. This plan is specifically intended to assist the participating local governments to comply with these requirements, and to enable them to more fully and quickly respond to state and federal funding opportunities for mitigation-related projects. Because the plan defines, justifies and prioritizes mitigation initiatives that have been formulated through a technically valid hazard analysis and vulnerability assessment process, the participating organizations are better prepared to more quickly and easily develop the necessary grant application materials for seeking state and federal funding.

Enhance Local Policies for Hazard Mitigation Capability

A component of the hazard mitigation planning process conducted by the Okaloosa County LMS Committee is the analysis of the existing policy, program and regulatory basis for control of growth and development. This process involves cataloging the current mitigation-related policies of local government so that they can be compared the hazards that threaten the jurisdiction and the relative risks they pose to the community. When the risks posed to the community by a specific hazard are not adequately addressed in the community’s policy or regulatory framework, the impacts of future disasters can be even more severe. The planning process utilized by the Committee supports detailed comparison of the community’s policy controls to the level of risk posed by specific hazards.

This comparison supports and justifies efforts to propose enhancements in the policy basis for could or should be promulgated by the involved local jurisdictions to create a more disaster-resistant future for the community.

Assure Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination of Mitigation-Related Programming

A key purpose of the planning process utilized by the Okaloosa County LMS Committee is to ensure that proposals for mitigation initiatives are reviewed and coordinated among the participating jurisdictions within the County. In this way, there is a high level of confidence that mitigation initiatives proposed by one jurisdiction or participating organization, when implemented, will be compatible with the interests of adjacent jurisdictions and unlikely to duplicate or interfere with mitigation initiatives proposed by others. The operating procedures of the Committee mandate that all proposed mitigation initiatives, regardless of their origin, will be coordinated among all of the participants in the planning prior to their approval for incorporation into the plan.

Provide a Flexible Approach to the Planning Process

The planning process used by the Okaloosa County LMS Committee is very flexible in meeting the analysis and documentation needs of the planning process. The planning program utilized provides for the creation of this document, as well as the preparation of numerous other reports regarding the technical analyses undertaken. In this way, the plan assists the Committee with utilizing a full range of information in the technical analysis and the formulation of proposed mitigation initiatives for incorporation into this plan.

The following sections of the Okaloosa County LMS Plan present the detailed information to support these purposes. The remainder of the plan describes the planning organization developed by the Committee, as well as its approach to managing the planning process. It then summarizes the results of the hazard identification and vulnerability assessment process, and addresses the current policy basis for hazard management by the participating jurisdictions and organizations. The plan also documents the structural and non-structural mitigation initiatives proposed by the participating jurisdiction to address the identified vulnerabilities. The plan concludes by addressing the goals and objectives of the Committee for the next planning period, during which this plan will continue to be expanded and refined.

Section Three

BYLAWS AND OPERATING PROCEDURES

ARTICLE I.                 PURPOSES OF THE WORKING GROUP

The purpose of the Okaloosa County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Committee is to plan for a decrease in the vulnerability of the citizens, governments, businesses and institutions of Okaloosa County to the future human, economic and environmental costs of natural, technological, and societal disasters. The Working Group will develop, monitor, implement, and maintain a comprehensive multi-jurisdictional plan for hazard mitigation that will be intended to accomplish this purpose and to promote a sustainable and disaster-resistant community.

ARTICLE II.                 MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Working Group is open to all jurisdictions, organizations and individuals supporting its purposes.  Membership is accomplished through the completion of a Member Information Form.  The Member Information Form should be submitted to the Chair of the Working Group for a signature of acknowledgement.  The Chair shall submit all Member Information Forms to the LMS Planner for processing into the Working Group Membership Database. LMS Committee alternate members shall also be required to submit a Member Information Form.

ARTICLE III.               ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The organizational structure of the Working Group shall consist of three permanent components:  a LMS/LMS Committee, a Citizens Committee, and a LMS planner.  Both the Technical and Citizen Committee’s shall select members to act as Chairperson and Vice-chairperson. The Chairperson of the LMS Committee will also act as the Chairperson of the Working Group.Subcommittees of the Technical and Citizens Committees may be formed as deemed necessary by the Working Group.

A.        The LMS Committee

The Working Group shall be guided by a decision-making and voting body called the LMS Committee. The make-up of the LMS Committee shall be well conceived and well balanced with representatives from the following:

• Other individuals and their designated volunteer alternates as deemed appropriate by the LMS Committee to ensure well-balanced representation on the Steering Committee.

Ideally, LMS Committee members should have responsibility for implementing proposed mitigation initiatives when resources to do so become available.

The LMS Committee shall formulate recommendations to the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners and the participating municipalities. Each member of the LMS Committee shall have one vote on formal motions made by the LMS Working Group.

The LMS Committee will provide a formal and stable core to the Working Group.  LMS Committee members will serve as the official representative and spokesperson for the organization regarding the activities and decisions of the LMS Working Group.  The roles and responsibilities of the LMS Committee members are described in Article V.

To maintain good standing, members of the LMS Committee must not have more than three unexcused absences from meetings during the course of a year.

Excused Absence Defined:  An absence may be excused if the member’s alternate attends in his/her place.  If the member’s alternate cannot attend in the member’s place, the Chairperson may excuse the member’s absence if the member notifies the Chairperson prior to the meeting that family sickness or death or other unavoidable and critical work or family conflict will not permit attendance at the specified meeting.

Criteria for Member Alternates:  Each member of the LMS Committee may designate one alternate to assist them in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities on the LMS Committee and the Working Group as a whole.  The alternate member may have one vote only when the primary member is absent.  To maintain a well-balanced membership, the designated alternate should represent the same entity as the primary member.  Alternate members of individual citizens shall also be individual citizens and not represent any other entity.  A LMS Committee member cannot serve as an alternate member for another member.

Based on long-standing LMS Committee status prior to the establishment of these Bylaws, representatives from the following departments/organizations will serve as members of the initial LMS Committee under these Bylaws.  Additional LMS Committee members will be added to the Working Group as the group grows in membership and as representation is needed to maintain a well-conceived and well-balanced LMS Committee.

The Citizens Committee

The Citizens Committee component of the LMS Working Group shall have Planning and Public Information roles and responsibilities.  Membership in and/or participation on the LMS Citizens Committee are open to all interested jurisdictions, organizations and individuals.

Membership of the Citizens Committee shall include voluntary representatives from voluntary participating organizations and associations representing interested private organizations, civic organizations, trade and commercial support groups, property owners associations, Native American Tribes or authorized tribal organizations, water management districts, regional planning councils, independent special districts and non-profit organizations.  

The Citizens Committee may, as an option, form two sub-committees to more equitably distribute the planning and public information roles and responsibilities described in Article V.

C.        Planning Support Staff 

The Okaloosa County Growth Management Department or other agency as so designated by the Board of County Commissioners, will serve as the LMS Program’s planning support staff for the Working Group, and assist in the facilitation, coordination and support of the Working Group activities. Roles and responsibilities of the LMS planning support staff are described in Article V.

ARTICLE IV.               WORKING GROUP OFFICERS

Any member in good standing of the LMS Committee is eligible for election as an officer. The LMS Working Group will have a chair, vice-chair and a secretary.  The chair and vice-chair shall be elected by a majority vote of a quorum of the LMS Committee members.  Each officer will serve a term of one year, and be eligible for re-election for an unlimited number of terms.

The chair of the Working Group will preside at each meeting of the Working Group as well as establish temporary subcommittees and assign personnel to them. The vice chair will fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the chair in his or her absence.  The secretary will assist in the important task of meeting documentation by taking meeting notes at each Working Group meeting.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Working Group Officers will include, but shall not be limited to:

The Working Group Chair shall:

• Conduct the Working Group Meetings as outlined in the agenda and according to Robert’s Rules of Order when necessary.
• Assist the LMS planning support staff in setting meeting agendas.
• Pre-approve meeting minutes prior to distribution to the Work Group and others.
• Maintain a Working Group file of all documentation (letters, plans, state and federal handouts/documents, etc.) received while in office and transfer the file to the next elected chairperson.
• Establish formation of temporary sub-committees and assign members to serve
• Distribute minutes, meeting notices, and general Working Group outreach
• Oversee the Planning Component of the Working Group Roles and Responsibilities

The Working Group Vice-Chair shall:Fulfill the roles and responsibilities of the chairperson in his/her absence.Oversee the Public Information component of the Working Group Roles and Responsibilities

ARTICLE V.                RESPONSIBILITIES 

A.        LMS Committee

The LMS Committee will be responsible for oversight and coordination of all actions and decisions by the Working Group, and is solely responsible for formal actions in the name of the Working Group, including the release of reports, development of resolutions, issuance of position papers, and similar activities.  The LMS Committee makes task assignments to the Citizens Committee, coordinates their work, and takes action on their recommendations.

Other roles and responsibilities may include but not be limited to:

• Approve the mitigation initiatives for incorporation into the plan, the priority of those initiatives, and the removal or termination of initiatives.
• Set guidelines for the total mitigation planning effort.
• Serve as the official body to represent the overall planning process.
• Serve as the official liaison of the Working Group to the community.

Presents the plan to communities and the local elected bodies.

B.        Citizens Committee

The Citizens Committee shall have two categories of responsibilities—planning and public information.  These responsibilities are described below:

Planning – The Planning responsibilities include undertaking and coordinating the actual technical analysis and planning activities fundamental to the development of an LMS plan.  Activities will include identifying, analyzing, and monitoring the hazards threatening Okaloosa County and the vulnerabilities of the community to those hazards, as well as assisting in the definition of actions, policies, or programs to mitigate the impacts of those hazards; defining structural and non-structural actions needed to decrease the human, economic and environmental impacts of disasters, and preparing for consideration and action by the LMS Committee a strategy for implementation of those initiatives in both the pre- and post-disaster time frame; defining the general financial vulnerability of the community to the impacts of disasters; assisting with identification, characterization, and prioritization of initiatives to minimize vulnerabilities; and identifying potential funding sources for all priority mitigation initiatives identified in the mitigation strategy developed by the Working Group.  In addition, planning responsibilities include assessing the communities’ policies, regulations, and programs and making subsequent recommendations to enhance or strengthen the mitigation components of those planning documents (known as capabilities assessment).  Planning responsibilities shall include any other planning activity required by CFR 44 Part 201, 9G-22 FAC or any other federal and state mitigation requirements.

Public Information – Public Information responsibilities include those specified in CFR 44 Part 201, FEMA Region IV Minimum Standards of Responsibilities, 9G-22 FAC or any other federal and state mitigation requirements.  These responsibilities include, but are not limited to securing public input and comment on the efforts of the Working Group; informing the public about the activities of the Working Group; conducting public information and education programs regarding hazard mitigation and informing the community about the vulnerability to future disasters and effective hazard mitigation actions; conducting surveys to gather information on community needs and attitudes; assisting with the conduct of public meetings; providing a venue to receive comments from the public who cannot attend pubic meetings, and preparing the community for issuance of the LMS plan and promoting public acceptance of the strategy developed by the Working Group. 

Temporary Subcommittees - The responsibilities of temporary subcommittees will be defined at the time they are established by the chairperson of the committee appointing the subcommittee.

C.        LMS Planning Support Staff and Monitor, Evaluation and Update Procedures

The general and primary responsibility of the LMS planning support staff is to coordinate and facilitate the Working Group’s development of the initial DMA2K Section 322 hazard mitigation plan and the subsequent continual maintenance, monitoring, evaluation, and update of the plan on an annual and five-year planning schedule as required by 9G-22 FAC, FEMA criteria in CFR 44 Part 201, and FEMA Region IV Minimum Standards of Acceptability (and any other subsequent State and Federal requirements).  The Working Group will meet on an annual basis to review and evaluate the plan.  The criteria used to evaluate the plan will include, but is not limited to the following:

1. Review any changes that may have been made to other planning mechanisms to determine if changes are needed to the LMS.
2. Discuss any recent disaster events and how they may change the mitigation efforts undertaken by the county and jurisdictions. 

Roles and responsibilities that support the general and primary responsibility stated above include, but are not limited to, the following:

ARTICLE VI.               AUTHORIZED COUNTY POINT OF CONTACT

The Growth Management Director shall be the Working Group’s designated county point of contact, which is empowered by the County Board of County Commissioners to accept and disburse funds, enter into contracts, hire staff, and take such other actions as necessary in support of, or for the benefit of, the Working Group.

ARTICLE VII.              ACTIONS BY THE WORKING GROUP

A.        Authority for Actions

Only the LMS Committee has the authority to take final actions in the name of the Working Group.  Actions by the Citizens Committee and its subcommittees or LMS planning support staff are not considered as final until affirmed by action of the LMS Committee.

B.        Meetings, Voting and Quorum

Meetings of the Working Group will be conducted in accord with Robert's Rules of Order, if and when deemed necessary by chair of the meeting.

Regular meetings of the full Working Group will be scheduled at least quarterly with a minimum of 7 days’ notice.  The different component groups of the Working Group may conduct additional and separate meetings as needed to complete tasks.

All final actions and decisions made in the name of the Working Group will be by affirmative vote of a quorum of the LMS Committee.  A quorum shall 50 percent of the members of the LMS Committee in good standing at the time of the vote. Each member of the LMS Committee will have one vote.  (See voting requirements for alternates in Article III, A)  Voting by proxy, written or otherwise, is not permitted.

C.        Public Meetings

When required by statute or the policies of Okaloosa County, or when deemed necessary by the LMS Committee, a public meeting regarding actions under consideration for implementation by the Working Group will be held.

The county sought participation from the public during the drafting stages and prior to plan approval on many different occasions.  The Monthly meetings of the LMS committee were held in the City of Niceville Community meeting facility.  A schedule of the meetings in that facility was posted in the Niceville offices, which manages the facility.  The facility is centrally located in the southern portion of the county and co-located with a regional library and Niceville City Hall.  Many citizens who attend regional events on site as well as visit the public library frequent this facility.  These schedules were posted in this location as a means to solicit public participation from local citizens.  A copy of the posted public notices can be found in Section 8.6. 

Furthermore, in addition to the these committee meetings, the Okaloosa County LMS was placed on the agenda and presented to the Board of County Commissioners on two separate occasions.   These meetings were held on July 20th, 2004, and August 3rd, 2004.  Both of these meetings were advertised in the local newspaper, on the radio and on the Okaloosa County website.  A copy of the agendas from both of these meetings can be found in Section 8.10 of this document.

In an effort to solicit additional public participation, Pat Blackshear, the LMS Committee Chair sent out a letter to community stakeholders as an invitation to take part and participate in the LMS Committee meetings.  A copy of this letter can be found in Section 8.6. 

D.        Documentation of Actions

All meetings and other forms of action by the Working Group will be documented and made available for inspection by the public at one or more of the following county locations:  the County’s website and/or link to consultant’s website, and/or the County Clerk’s office or other central location.  Documentation may include minutes, handouts, and sign-in sheets.  In addition, the LMS planning support staff will maintain public review documentation.

ARTICLE VIII.             ADOPTION HAVE AND AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

The Bylaws of the Working Group may be adopted and/or amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the members in good standing of the LMS Committee. All proposed changes to the bylaws will be provided to each member of the LMS Committee not less than ten days prior to such a vote.  Voting can be accomplished at a regularly scheduled meeting, a special meeting, or via electronically utilizing email or fax so that a written confirmation of the vote can be generated.

ARTICLE IX.               DISSOLUTION OF THE COMMITTEE 

The Working Group may be dissolved by affirmative vote of 100% of the members in good standing of the LMS Committee at the time of the vote, by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, and/or by instruction of the Okaloosa County governing body. Voting can be accomplished at a regularly scheduled meeting, a special meeting, or via electronically utilizing email or fax so that a written confirmation of the vote can be generated.  At the time of dissolution, all remaining documents, records, equipment and supplies belonging to the Working Group will be transferred to the Okaloosa County position specified as the Working Group’s Point of Authority in Article VI for disposition. 

Section Four

Hazards Assessment

4.1 Introduction

This section of the Okaloosa County Local LMS Plan summarizes the results of a vulnerability assessment process undertaken by the LMS Committee members. The intent of this section is to provide a compilation of the information regarding the hazards threatening Okaloosa County as a whole. In this section, information relevant to the entire planning area is compiled and an overview of the analyses is provided as required by DMA2K requirements.

The hazards that will be analyzed in this section are natural and concentrate on the affects of man in those events as well as the effects of those events on mankind.   However, DMA2K does not require an assessment of technological and/or societal hazards and therefore shall not be covered under this plan or in the analysis of this section.

In addition, primary attention is given to hazards (with sub-sections) considered reasonably possible to occur in the County. These hazards include:

• Storm Surge
• Flooding
• General Flooding
• Dam Safety
• Land Erosion
• Sinkholes
• Expansive Soils
• Severe Storms
• Tornado & Waterspout
• Thunderstorms and Lightning
• Winter Storms
• Heat Wave and Drought
• Wildfire

The hazards that are considered unlikely or impossible in the County will be briefly analyzed and commented on will be included. These hazards include:Earthquake Avalanche  Land Subsidence Landslide Tsunami Volcano

4.1a Growth and Development Trends for Okaloosa County

When analyzing hazards faced by a community it is important to discuss the growth and development trends of the community in order to determine whether or not the community is developing in such a way as to minimize the impacts to future developments and protect future populations.  Okaloosa County has experienced significant population growth in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue.  This is perhaps largely due to its location along the Gulf of Mexico and the desirable coastal areas.  The county experienced a population increase of 18.6% between the years 1990-2000 (U.S. Census, 2000).  The county’s population growth is forecast to continue steadily and is projected to reach an estimated 257,600 by the year 2030 increasing the average population density of 198 to 282 persons per square mile (Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 2004).                                                             

Both the Existing and Future Land Use Maps (ELUM and FLUM) have been included for Okaloosa County in Section 8.11 of this document.  These maps were obtained from the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Community Planning.  As seen on both maps, Eglin Air Force Base encompasses a large portion of the land within county with other major land uses including: Parks, Agriculture and Residential.  If Eglin Air Force base, or any of the surrounding military bases expand their operations a boost in residential developments within all jurisdictions located in Okaloosa County as well as surrounding areas could be anticipated in order to accommodate the military personnel.  According to the FLUM for the county, much of the land is designated as low density residential with a mix of rural residential, agriculture and parks in the other unincorporated areas.  While the City of Destin, City of Ft. Walton Beach and City of Crestview have moderately large population concentrations, most of the county’s population (59.7%) resides within the unincorporated areas of the county.

4.1b Vulnerability of Future Development for Okaloosa County

In order to determine the vulnerability of future buildings, infrastructure and critical facilities the hazard vulnerability analysis zones were overlaid onto the Okaloosa County Future Land Use Map.  This information was taken from a profile created by the Florida Department of Community Affairs as a part of their initiative to integrate hazard mitigation planning into the local comprehensive plan.  According to this analysis future land uses that exist within hazard prone areas include:  Mixed Use, Residential, Conservation, Agriculture, Eglin Air Force Base and Okaloosa Island as well as portion of the City of Destin.  Residential developments and mixed-use developments would generally include building types such as housing and commercial as well as office space.  Eglin Air Force base, while considered a critical facility, contains many forested areas and therefore not all buildings will be considered at risk (FDCA, 2005).  The maps found in Section 8.12 of this plan detail where these future land uses exist as well as the hazards to which they are considered to be vulnerable. 

4.2 Hazard Identification

The technical DMA2k planning process begins with hazard identification. In this process, WFRPC and representatives of individual jurisdictions identify all of the natural hazards that threaten the community.  When the hazard types are identified, the participants can make an estimate of the risk each poses to the jurisdiction being evaluated that will be reviewed in Section 5 of this plan. 

4.2.A Hurricane/Tropical Storms

Note to reader:  Storm surge are evaluated in Section 4.2.A1 of this chapter.

Okaloosa County has an approximately 33% chance of being impacted by a tropical storm or hurricane from the Atlantic / Caribbean / Gulf of Mexico basin in any given year (based on data from 1944–1999.)

Figure 1: Percentage probability of a hurricane striking in any given year in the Atlantic/Gulf/Caribbean Basin.  Okaloosa County rests between the 30% and 36 contour. (Source: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqG.html#G12).

Historically, Okaloosa County has experienced a peak 5% chance of hurricane touchdown as indicated in Table 1 below. This peak percentage occurs during the month of September; a typical expectation being that the month of September falls right in the center of peak hurricane season -- between mid-August to late October. However, the official, nationally recognized hurricane season starts June 1st and spans to November 30th.  

However, the public should not be lulled into thinking that a 5% chance of a hurricane impacting the county in September is low.  This represents a four in one hundred chance that Okaloosa County could receive a hurricane in that month compared across the entire North Atlantic basin (hundreds of thousands of square miles stretching from Texas to the west coast of Africa).  These odds are actually statistically high. Nine hurricanes made landfall or at or near Okaloosa County between 1900 and 1996 (See Figure 2).  Four of these storms were major (1917, 1936, Eloise in 1975 and Opal in 1995).

High winds from hurricanes are a substantial threat to all homes, especially manufactured housing.  Category 3 or higher force winds would likely cause substantial damage throughout the County.  Winds in excess of 155 MPH could be experienced in a major Category 5 hurricane in some locations.  In no instance should a resident of a manufactured home stay in the home in hurricane conditions.  This creates an immediate need for sheltering and adds to traffic loading on area roadways (where evacuating residents of nearby coastal counties are already fleeing north).  Traditional stud and brick veneer or siding homes and businesses are vulnerable, as well, especially when hurricane shutters are not used.  Relatively few businesses and homes have hurricane shutters in the County, although shelters and some critical facilities are shuttered.  There is an increased awareness of the need for shutters due to local emergency management, commercial, state, and federal government awareness campaigns. 

In recent history, hurricane approaches towards West Florida have caused major traffic backups on Interstate 10 (Hurricanes Opal – 1995 and Floyd – 1999 are perfect examples).  Hurricane Opal evacuees from Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton Counties caused traffic speeds to decrease to near standstill on I-10.  Additionally, substantial evacuee numbers would be anticipated from residents of south Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties, as well as neighboring Escambia County on Pensacola Beach as citizens leave coastal areas for inland locations.  This could impact roadways such as U.S. 98 (Navarre Parkway and Gulf Breeze Parkway), SR 87, SR 281 (Garcon Point Road, the Garcon Point Bridge, and Avalon Boulevard), CR 197 (Chumuckla Highway), and SR 89.  The number of evacuees traveling in or through the county, attempting to find shelters or motels, or being stuck in highway traffic is a real threat to emergency operations, coordination, resources, and management.  Roadways built below flood levels create a risk of trapping people on roadways in vehicles (even if they are not victims of floodwaters) if hurricane force winds reach the area before all persons are evacuated or sheltered.

4.2.A1 Storm Surge

Okaloosa County is a coastal county. However, storm surge from the Choctawhatchee and neighboring East Bay being pushed from the south up the Yellow and Blackwater river valleys of the Pensacola Bay Area basin could combine with river flooding. By far, the largest area of the county susceptible to storm surge are those areas lying adjacent to the Choctawhatchee Bay Area Basin, the coastal city of Destin, and Moreno Point.  This is assumed due to the storm surge zones in Southern Okaloosa and Choctawhatchee Bay “Hurricane Storm Tide Atlas 1999” showing lands surrounding the floodplain of the Choctawhatchee Bay as being in a storm surge zone; primarily land area south of Eglin Air Force Base (See Appendix 1).  A number of residents are vulnerable to storm surge in these areas up to 13.1 feet above mean sea level in a Category 5 hurricane.  Since this corresponds with flooding in the East/Blackwater and Escambia Basin, and is well documented as being vulnerable to flooding on Flood Insurance Rate Maps of the area, a more complete analysis and mitigation discussion will be deferred to LMS sections on “flooding.”

In a hurricane, the county is vulnerable to substantial flooding from tropical rains since the southern part of the county shares the central drainage area for the Choctawhatchee River with neighboring Walton County. Although the majority of urban areas are not in floodplains, impact to roadways, some businesses, and homes stresses already limited emergency management resources. Additionally, many persons who live in flood-prone areas are low or very low income.  This creates substantial need for public assistance in the form of cash, loans, sheltering, food, and resources for recovery.  This can create a long-term response and recovery hardship for the County’s emergency management staff.

The Eglin Air Force Base consumes nearly half of the county’s land area in the south. This land is primarily forested area with little to no anticipated impacts from flood or storm surge activity. However, many urban areas bordering the base to the south are the most vulnerable to both flood and storm surge events. Luckily, flood impacts to urban areas of the county are minimized as many of the urban settlements are situated on elevated topography. The areas of the county most susceptible to localized flooding are located north of I-10 and Eglin Air Force Base and occur when tidal upsurge occurs from the Yellow River. However, the City of Niceville, Town of Shalimar, City of Destin and the Fort Walton Beach urban area also have pockets of localized flooding.

The real hazard for Okaloosa County lies in those areas affected by strong storm surge activity along the coast. These areas include virtually the entire area of Moreno Point, the City of Destin, and all Choctawhatchee Bay area residences; totaling roughly 55,000 people. With the exception of the Cities of Crestview and Laurel Hill, the coastal edge and bay area of Okaloosa County contains the most heavily concentrated population centers and the most development warranting attention for storm surge mitigation. Substantial mitigation efforts including buyouts of property have been ongoing since 1995.  However, some residential dwellings remain vulnerable in the county to flooding since they were either not eligible for buyouts or chose not to participate in voluntary FEMA buyout programs.

4.2.B. Flooding

The Southeast’s humid subtropical climate lends itself to very rainy periods (including rains from tropical systems, air mass thunderstorms, and frontal systems).  Flooding is a real and a routinely expected event in Okaloosa County.  Erosion along banks and gullying in upland areas is present in the county and can present unique situations in prevention of topsoil loss and property damage.  Flooding is considered the more dangerous of these two hazards as it relates to local government efforts to ensure public safety and to reduce the hazards to the community.  These two issues, related to rainfall and the humid climate, are analyzed separately below.

4.2.B1 General Flooding

More than any other natural or human-caused catastrophe, flooding due to storm surge has plagued Okaloosa County’s citizens, emergency operations, and mitigation efforts throughout the history of the community.  Flooding is the primary emergency concern along the Yellow and Shoal Rivers and associated tributaries, sloughs, river oxbow lakes, sinkhole/sandhill lakes and isolated swamps; locally called “bays”. Serious flooding has occurred in 1928, 1929, 1960, 1975, 1990, 1994 and two floods in 1998.  In 1975, the highest flood level was recorded at the Yellow River near Milligan. Floods reached 62.71 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD).  The 1994 Tropical Storm Alberto event (a 131 year flood) caused great devastation to homes, public buildings, and residences near the Yellow and other rivers in Okaloosa County, especially in the Milligan area.  Interstate 10 was closed for a period of time because of damage to the bridges over the Escambia River and Escambia Bay. Hundreds of residents were displaced from homes, only to return to total devastation.  Even homes built to the 100-year base flood elevation standards received water. 

Also impacting Okaloosa County is flooding in adjacent counties.  For example, flooding in Jackson, Washington and Walton Counties, as well as in Alabama, causes people to seek temporary shelter in Okaloosa County. At the very least, neighboring counties will call on Okaloosa County and its’ municipalities for mutual aid assistance, if so needed.

Whereas localized flooding is pretty common in Okaloosa County, nearly all of the urban areas in the county are naturally elevated to avoid any major, sustained flooding. The primary threats to Okaloosa County’s urban areas are those most associated with storm surge activity. These areas include all the areas near the southern perimeter of Eglin Air Force Base and adjacent to Choctawhatchee Bay. Not counting unincorporated areas in the county, these urban areas contain nearly a third of the county’s population (32%).

Nearly all of the City of Destin lies inside the category four and five storm surge zone area according to FIRM data; more specifically, the northern and western portion of the city. The entire peninsula comprising Destin’s southern boundary lies within Category One and Two Storm Surge Zones. Due to the coastal juxtaposition of the city, high winds and flooding due to surge have been sited as major problems during heavy storm events.

Similar to the City of Destin, a vast majority of Fort Walton Beach lies inside major storm surge zones. Specifically, The entire eastern and southern portion of the incorporated area lies within category four and five surge zones. The southeastern portion of the city forms a small peninsula. The land mass will is indicated to receive the most surge damage during a heavy storm event. In addition, this area will be the most heavily effected by strong wind conditions.

The City of Niceville, although mostly situated outside the floodplain of the Choctawhatchee Bay, is somewhat flood prone along small tributaries near the City. Due to geography, the City also experiences strong storm surge along its waterfront areas. In particular, the southern area of the City completely lays within the category four and five zone areas.

The smaller urban areas in the southern portion of the county (i.e. Valparaiso, Shalimar, Cinco Bayou, Mary Esther, etc) experience the same sorts of storm surge activity common to the previously mentioned larger urban areas. However, it should be noted that these smaller municipalities typically work with much smaller tax bases and budgets; so reconstruction after a major hazard can be especially difficult.   

The City of Crestview and Laurel Hill are positioned in the more upland area of the county to the north of Eglin Air Force Base. A positive aspect of the City is that the majority of the development lies out of reach of the storm surge areas. However, localized flooding occurs during heavy rain events. Historically, upwelling of the neighboring Shoal River and its tributaries has caused significant flood damage to riparian developments. Flooding can also severely impact Okaloosa County’s road network. There are approximately 303 miles of Arterial and Collector roads in Okaloosa County. Out of this total, 2 miles of these roads are located in the NFIP x500 (500 Year Flood Zone) and 56 miles located in the NFIP IN Special Flood Zone. In total, nearly 20% of State and County roads in Okaloosa County may be come susceptible to flooding during middle to heavy rain events. This is considered a conservative estimate based upon registered State and County roads with FDOT. This is excluding the roads that exist throughout the county that are either not registered or are small informal roadways or both. Heavy rain events which cause temporary localized flooding on roads throughout the county are a concern. Evacuation routes such as the Arterial roads previously mentioned, dirt roads and roads constructed prior to uniform standards and regulations are some of the roadways typically impacted by isolated heavy rain events. “Training” storm systems that tend to saturate land as well as overload drainage and retention systems are particularly difficult to prepare transportation systems for. Of particular concern for the Town of Shalimar are flooding events that have occurred on Highway 85 northbound as well as Shalimar Drive. Flooding rain events have resulted in lane closures or entire road segment closures on these roads in 2004 and 2005.

Many rural roads are not paved and are therefore highly subject to washout.  Culverts and small bridges can sometimes be undermined, causing people to be stranded and isolated until the repairs can be made.  Some major roadways used for evacuation are subject to flooding.  This can create a scenario of stopping road traffic evacuating from other locations and trapping people in their vehicles in traffic jams.  This is a critical issue if this is in combination with an approaching hurricane. County, Town and City road repair crews, police, fire rescue, public works and all emergency response staffs are usually overwhelmed in times of serious flooding.

Flooding impacts the agricultural community by ruining crops, hay supplies, and meat production operations. From 1996 to 2002, natural hazards (of which, flooding being a leading culprit) caused over 1.7 billion dollars damage to Florida’s crops (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats.shtml). According to the Okaloosa County Comprehensive 2010 Plan, Agricultural and Timberland use accounts for nearly 37% of land use in the unincorporated county. Based on this knowledge, there is potential need for mitigation in the agricultural and timber sectors.  

Public health is an immediate issue during and following flooding. Raw sewage from septic tanks and overflowing sewage treatment systems creates a high risk for the public and emergency responders. It should be noted that whereas the causes of many of the wastewater system failures were not caused by natural disasters directly, they could inevitably be an unfortunate casualty as a result of other system failures. For example, the chart below details that many of the floods and spills of the treatment plants were caused by power outages and failure of the electric grid (See Table 2). The grid failures could be the result of the occurrence of a natural disaster. It should be noted that these figures are estimates based upon best available data.

Table 2: Wastewater Plant Overflow in Okaloosa County, 1999-2003. Source: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2003.

Dead animals can be present. With the advent of West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), mosquito infestations are now even more of a concern. (http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/OSTDS/statistics).

Most importantly, flooding inside or outside of Okaloosa County impacts the local economy by causing dollars to be spent on relief and reconstruction needs, rather than contributing to savings or long-term financial planning by families and businesses. The public tax base of the county is also harmed during each flood event.

Mitigation efforts in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s are reducing the numbers of individual homes and businesses subject to flooding.  The federal and state governments, not to mention local-government matching funds and in-kind donations, to promote buy-outs and property purchases, have invested millions of dollars.  Buyouts using Hazard Mitigation Grant Program dollars have contributed greatly to the reduction of floodprone homes and businesses along CR 179-A along the Yellow River valley. Many homes once in the county’s floodplains have been purchased by FEMA dollars and demolished. Since October of 2001, Okaloosa County has received over $6.1 million dollars to acquire 224 properties.

Building permits are issued strictly in accordance with the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  Purchases of 2,586 acres of land in the County by the Northwest Florida Water Management District and Preservation 2000/Forever Florida programs in the Yellow River drainage basin is also mitigating future damage by having floodplains designated as natural conservation areas in the county’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan.  The only uses allowed on such lands are recreational in nature.  Although the severity of flooding may now be reduced in the county, the potential for disaster continues.

NFIP Flood Insurance Rate Maps, available at the Building Inspections Office, and the Local Mitigation Strategy Plan latest edition shows floodplains and floodprone areas of the county and municipal jurisdictions.

4.2.B2 Dam Safety

Although dam safety might be considered a technological hazard, the primary concern is the potential for flooding downstream and down the valley from a dam where flooding might not naturally occur.  Thousands of people have lost their lives in dam mishaps in the history of the nation.  Therefore, the issue deserves the attention of this plan.  It is considered separate from the Section B.1 of this chapter (dealing strictly with natural flood) because of the technological relation to a human-made structure and the regulatory framework in place for dam safety.  While this is considered to be a possible hazard in Okaloosa County, there is no record of previous dam failure occurrences within the county.  Based upon past occurrences, it has been determined that the probability of future dam failures is low.

The Northwest Florida Water Management District is responsible for the permitting, inspection, and revocation of permits for dams in Okaloosa County that meet certain criteria, per the guidance of Chapters 373.314 and 373.316 Florida Statutes and Chapters 40A-4 and 40A-44 Florida Administrative Code (FAC).

The numbers of dams, their types, and regulating authority under FAC for Okaloosa County are shown in the Table below.

Table 4: Registered Dam Activity in Okaloosa County as of 2003. Source: North West Florida Water Management District, 2003

4.2.C Land Erosion

The Gulf Coastal Plain consists of sands, clays and silts that form the soils of the County (See Appendix 2).  Limestone outcrops, although present in some locations (particularly along the Yellow and Shoal Rivers) are not common.  The soft sediments that do prevail can be vulnerable to erosion when topography, vegetation, and ability to absorb water combine to form energy to weather away soils.

Sheet erosion, rills and gullies, are the most commonly observed types of erosion in the County.  Most of these features are associated with disturbances in natural vegetation, poor management of agricultural lands, silvicultural operations, building construction, or road construction and maintenance projects.  Such erosion, left unchecked, can damage drainage ditches, fill stormwater retention ponds with sediment, and cause erosion into property, including structures.  Most erosion of this nature occurs in some agricultural areas of the County and along unpaved roadways in hilly areas. In this instance, the result is a build up of soils/sands deposition on the roadways and drainage systems.

Erosion along riverbanks is a much less common issue in the County. A major river in the County is the Yellow River. The majority of the flood plain of the Yellow River is owned by the Northwest Florida Water Management District and is not subject to development (See Map 2). There are private parcels, however, that front Yellow River, Shoal River, and other water bodies.  These properties are generally on small bluffs over the river (five to ten feet above normal water level).  There have been reports of riverine erosion impacting structures along these water bodies. The most likely areas of riverine erosion potential include the southern portion of the Yellow River and the nearly the entire lower portion of the Shoal River.

Erosion can also be found where topography and slope increases away from rivers.   Steeper topography, combined with road and homesite development, can cause sheet erosion, rilling and gullies where sediment can empty into creeks, bays, etc. Out of the 55 identified soil types in Okaloosa County, 32.3% possess characteristics of “Highly Erodable (HE)” or “Potentially Highly Erodable (PEH)” soil types (see below).

* Potentially Highly Erodable Soils  ¤ Highly Erodable Soils

Professional services and consultation services available in the community generally lead to quick elimination or control of such erosion.  Most erosion incidents are minor in nature and are corrected with terraces, hay bales, mulch, tilling practices, silt screens, water turnouts, or other features.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Yellow River Soil and Water Conservation District (which covers the county) provides advice to private property owners on erosion issues. The NRCS has analyzed the potential for erosion in the county for years as a part of its normal duties, in support of the Federal Farm Bill, and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  There are currently 137 participants of the CRP program in Okaloosa County. Emphasis is on agricultural areas, but all property owners are eligible for assistance. 

The Florida Division of Forestry can also assist property owners when dealing with issues of erosion on silvicultural lands.  Professional engineering services are often used to examine and eliminate erosion issues on public lands.

Stormwater control through planning and design, engineering and management can also eliminate or reduce erosion.  This is particularly true within new and re-development projects. Advanced planning can help to avoid soils and sands getting into the stormwater drainage system, resulting in clogged systems and polluted water bodies. River bank erosion is a natural process that cannot be easily controlled by engineering or design.  The most structural solution is installation of seawalls (which require permits from the Department of Environmental Protection).  Site selection for building (away from the outside of cutting banks on rivers) is a way to avoid being in an erosive area.

4.2.C1 Sinkholes

The Florida Geological Survey of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) indicates in its “Sinkhole Type, Development and Distribution in Florida” map and description indicates Okaloosa County in its entirety is located in an area where sinkholes seldom, if ever occur. DEP’s statewide sinkhole database indicates no sinkholes in the county.  Since there is no history of this hazard in the county, no further analysis or risk assessment will be conducted for this plan. However, should conditions change and geological features should be discovered which are contributing to the development of new occurrences of sinkhole development, the LMS committee will include any new occurrence information in ongoing updates.

4.2.C2 Expansive Soils

According to the Soil Survey of Okaloosa County Florida (USDA, June 1975), two types of soils are considered vulnerable to expansion.  These are known as shrinking and swelling or “expansive soils.” Another way of describing expansive soils is the change of volume of a soil with a change of moisture content. 

In Okaloosa County, clayey sub-soils are generally responsible for the shrinking and swelling characteristics of these soils.  This lends itself to low strength for building foundations.  Steel reinforcing rods in foundations and a base of sand under a foundation reduce these limitations for buildings.  These soils also have limitations for use as local roads and streets because of lack of strength to support roadways and traffic.

The following table lists soils having moderate to high shrink swell potential in Okaloosa County.  Only those soils with an associated risk of “High” are listed:

4.2.D Severe Storms

The Severe Storms segment of the LMS Hazards Assessment will include thunderstorms, (including hail, lightning, and high winds) (exclusive of tornado and hurricane which are covered in other sections of this chapter), winter weather, and heat and drought collectively.

4.2.D1 Tornado & Waterspout

Tornadoes and waterspouts are small-scale weather phenomena as a vortex of rising air.  Tornadoes occur over land, and waterspouts occur over water.  The Fujita Scale is the basis of measurement of the strength of tornadoes.  Nationwide, 76% of all tornadoes are F0 or F1 weak intensity and account for 4% of total deaths.  Twenty five percent are F2 or F3 strong tornadoes, accounting for 29% of total nationwide tornado deaths.  Finally, 1% are F 5 violent tornadoes and account for 67% of all tornado deaths nationwide.

From 1980 to 1999, the National Severe Storms Center has calculated Okaloosa County as having about 0.8 to 1.0 tornado days each year.  This is the average number of days that tornadoes occur on over the course of one year.  By comparison, portions of the Great Plains have 1.6 to 2.0 tornado days each year.

The following table provides a reference to the number of documented tornadoes in Okaloosa County (1955 – 1995):