Agenda Packets - 2012/08/13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Appendix B B-12 Ramsey County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | July 2012 Earthquakes are not addressed in the City of St. Paul HMP in relation to mitigating against the hazard. There group discussed whether there is a need to address earthquakes and determined not to add earthquakes. Public comment included a concern about one source of energy fuel shortage for the state. The concern was based on the cold winters and no backup source of energy. An attendee recommended the reasoning for not including tsunamis as a hazard be added to the HMP. WINTER STORMS It was stated that following past blizzards, snow removal has been an issue. Although Ramsey County has been able to implement tree debris removal, there are no predetermined locations or temporary debris storage sites for snow. It was suggested that a mitigation strategy for determining possible locations to move excess snow be developed. There has never been a winter storm declaration in Ramsey County. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS An attendee suggested that tornadoes, thunderstorms, and high winds be included in one hazard category. A representative of the State of Minnesota suggested keeping them as separate hazards. When discussing high-wind events, attendees voiced concern about cable lines being affected (television, Internet, phone) and citizens losing their links to public information. This concern will be identified as part of the hazard profile. In addition to affecting citizens’ communication links, it could also affect City of St. Paul and Ramsey County data. TORNADOES Although the statistical average for the number of tornadoes in one year in the state of Minnesota is 24, there have been instances where many more were reported as a result of one day of large storms. In 2011, a particularly strong storm system moved through the stated and produced 48 tornadoes in one day, increasing the overall number of tornadoes to 102 for the year. This should be addressed as an update in the HMP. Major tornado events that have occurred in the last two years should also be noted in the HMP. Additionally, the number of tornadoes that have occurred in surrounding counties should be noted in the HMP. LIGHTNING Attendees recalled a lightning strike in 1998 that killed one person. Research on that death will be done and included in the HMP. It was agreed that no mitigation strategies, outside of all hazard mitigation strategies, need be added to the HMP. EXTREME TEMPERATURES Ramsey County has a robust electrical system that stands up to extreme heat temperatures well, resulting in a lack of heat-related electrical outages. Occasionally a transformer will explode due to high temperatures, but these instances are rare and do not generally affect the overall population.