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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSLC Emergency Mgmt Funding St. Lucie County Emergency Management Funding Requests '- \w Regiona[ Disaster Control Center / Special Needs Faci[ity ~ \..r ~ ,-,. S1. Lucie County Regional Disaster Control Center/Special Needs Facility A proposal for $8,000,000 to develop a Regional Disaster Control Center/Special Needs Facility. This upcoming year S1. Lucie County is requesting $2,000,000. WP80IF..r:Mu~I-Purpose \..r \.... \... Regional Disaster Control Center/Special Needs Facility A. Geographic Information - The 200-acre site is located in the heart of St. Lucie County, west of the major population centers, bordered on the north by State Road 70 and on the south by County Road 712. The site is geographically centered to serve the four county area of Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Martin Counties. This site is within 6 miles of the Florida Turnpike and 1-95 Interchanges along with being located outside the emergency planning zone for the nuclear power plant. B. Disaster Command/Special Needs Shelter - Facility will be used as a staging and distribution area of equipment along with the capability of providing for regional staging of resources and primary command post during recovery stages of a disaster. It would be the only Special Needs Population Shelter outside the 10-mile emergency planning zone. Used as an alternate Emergency Operations Center outside the EPZ should we lose location. Currently we have inadequate locations for the evacuation of school children during a nuclear power plant emergency, this facility will help provide needed shelter. C. Facility - The 30,000 square foot structure will meet Category 3 hurricane design requirements, accommodate over 500 people, contain a full service kitchen, restrooms, and showers and dining for 250 people. Building interior will have folding walls to provide for more versatile use. As an emergency center the facility will contain emergency lighting, phones, data facilities and emergency generator system to provide reliability in emergency situations. Water system would include a ground storage tank capable of sustaining minimum fire protection needs and storage capability. This structure will be completely self contained. WP80;EmerMgtBk \... REGIONAL DISASTER CONTROL CENTER! SPECIAL NEEDS FACILITY FUNDING NEEDS I. Project Engineering & Design $ 600,000 II. Water/Sewer 500,000 III. Infrastructure 1,200,000 IV. Agriculture Exhibit/Disaster Center 3,000,000 V. LivestocklEq u i ne 1,500,000 VI. Furnishings 500,000 VII. Contingency 700.000 TOTAL AMOUNT REQUESTED $8,000,000* \.... LOCAL MATCH I. Land Purchase $1,000,000 II. Livestock Arena & Related 250,000 III. Site Work (In Kind) 100,000 IV. Fair Association Loan 500,000 V. Fair Association Funding 350,000 VI. Engineering & Preparation for SFWMD 46.000 TOTAL MATCHING FUNDS $2,246,000 *$2,000,000 minimum funding required 2001 Fiscal Year WP80EmerMgmtBk \w. \....- \., Other Emergency Management Grant Requests ~ \..-. OTHER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GRANT REQUESTS Fiscal Year 2001-2002 Proiect County Match EMPA Grant 1. Civic Center Roof Reconstruction none $289,149 for Special Needs Shelter 2. Generator and other Improvements $ 48,000 $185,800 for Special Needs Shelter 3. Portable Animal Stalls for Regional $269,500 $118,000 Animal Collection Site 4. Indian River Estates Drainage $253,503 $103,855 Improvements 5. Wildfire Mitigation Plan for $ 12,500 $157,500 St. Lucie County TOTAL $583,503 $862,304 \w \...r '--' ROOF RECONSTRUCTION FOR SPECIAL NEEDS SHELTER ~ FUNDING REQUEST $289,149 \...r \...-. The goal of this grant application is to replace the roof at St. Lucie County's Special Needs Shelter. If this grant application is funded for a new roof, it will facilitate all aspects of evacuation, sheltering, and protection of Special Needs Populations. Thus, achieving the intent as set forth in the most recently adopted version of Section 252.385, Florida Statutes (Priority A). St. Lucie County staff and emergency management personnel have determined that the County's Civic Center's Special Needs Shelter could hold 400 of the 634 registered special needs citizens in the county. The newer Port St. Lucie shelter can hold up to 200 special needs individuals from southern St. Lucie County. Although the County's long-range goal is to construct a new Special Needs Shelter at the new Fairgrounds on SR 70, it will be several years before funding is in place to build a hurricane safe structure. By the time County has funds to build it, the population increase of Port St. Lucie will demand that we keep all three facilities open. For that reason, grant funds will be used for one very important Capital Improvement Project improving the safety of largest special needs shelter. The goal is to replace the 39,340 square foot roof of the Special Needs Shelter (see attachment 1). Built in 1975, the Civic Center weathered its first hurricane in 1976 where part of the roof was torn by the strong winds. Since then, the roof has degraded over time. Although the county could continue to patch the roof, the long-term benefits would be minimal. It is best to replace the entire roof with a much stronger version that could handle hurricane force winds. If the entire roof is replaced, the County and its residents will be able to benefit for at least twenty -years compared to just minor repairs. Attachment 2 are photographs that depict recurring problems on the roof including: · Open seams in expansion joints; · Coping caps joints wide open; and · Roof blisters are spread throughout the roof surface. \..- The County recently equipped the Civic Center Special Needs Shelter with hurricane shutters over the doors for $8,730 and reinforced the shelter's walls with beams to withstand Category 3 Hurricanes. In 1998 and 1999, $68,580 of County funds were used toward reinforcing the walls. Although there is no direct match for this roof replacement project, County staff time will be available for project management and quality assurances. A contractor will be hired through the Request for Proposals process, and County Central Services staff will be responsible for managing the contractor's work quality thus ensuring that the end product is correctly completed. Providing a safe special needs shelter is a goal and requirements of the following local and state statues rules or plan: · Florida Administrative Code 9J-5.012 Coastal Management Section (2)(e); · Florida Statues Chapter 163.3178(d) Coastal Management; · Florida Statues Chapter 252.36 Emergency Management powers of the Governor; . State Comprehensive Plan Goal 7 and Policy 22 and 23; . County Comprehensive Land Use Plan Coastal Element Objectives 7.2.2 and 7.2.3. Maintaining a safe Special Needs Shelter is exactly the type of project that promotes and facilitates all aspects of Evacuation, Sheltering, and Special Needs Populations and will achieve the intent set forth in the most recently adopted version of Section 252.385, Florida Statutes. \.- Once the 39,340 square foot roof is replaced at the Civic Center Special Needs Shelter, emergency managers could safely protect evacuees up to Category 3 Hurricanes. This will be \.- an immediate tangible emergency management benefit that furthers state and local objectives to provide a safe special needs shelter. This will benefit evacuees immediately for the 2002 hurricane season and for many years to come. It will provide long-term health and safety benefits to over 400 special needs citizens throughout the entire year. The Special Needs Shelter is available throughout the year to assist in sheltering citizens during hurricane season, wildfire season and other human disaster such as a fire at the local fertilizer plant or nuclear power accident. Replacing the roof at the Special Needs Shelter is consistent with the State of Florida Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan 1998 Emergency Support Function (ESF) 6 - Mass Care Section. Page 2 of ESF 6 states in the preparedness section "ESF 6 agencies will work with local government, and voluntary service delivery units... and other applicable agencies in activities related to surveying the feasibility and suitability of facilities to be used as shelters utilizing the following American Red Cross publications as guidelines: "Mass Care: Preparedness and Operations; (ARC 3031 )," and "Guidelines for Hurricane Evacuation and shelter Selection; (ARC 4496)." Improving the Special Needs Shelter is consistent with the County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Emergency Support Function (ESF) 6 - Mass Care Section. Pages 6-5 and 6-6 identify that the County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan sheltering requirements. Letter c states, "all shelters should be managed in accordance with applicable ARC regulations and procedures, including the assignment of trained shelter managers at each shelter." Since the ARC guidelines recommend that structurally strong shelters be provided, this grant application is consistent with this section in the County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. Proposed Budget ~ EXPENDITURE CATEGORIES: 1. SALARY AND BENEFITS 2. OTHER STAFF/CONTRACTUAL SERVICES Contract to replace a 39,430 sq ft roof on the Special Needs Shelter for 400 people $275,380 $275,380 3. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES In-direct cost for management 13,769 13,769 4. EXPENSES 5. OPERATING CAPITAL OUTLAY 6. FIXED CAPITAL OUTLAY TOTAL EXPENDITURES 000 000 PERCENTAGES 0% 0% 000 0% $289,149 100% $289,149 100% \.... '-' GENERATOR FOR SPECIAL NEEDS SHELTER AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS \...- FUNDING REQUEST $185,800 '-" \... \..r '-" The goal of this grant application is to continue upgrading St. Lucie County's primary Special Needs Shelter and to add Hurricane Shutters to St. Lucie County's Traffic Operations Buildings. If this grant application is funded, the two proposed projects will promote and facilitate all aspects of Evacuation, Sheltering, and Special Needs Populations and will achieve the intent as set forth in the most recently adopted version of Section 252.385, Florida Statutes (Priority A). Installation of hurricane shutters to these two buildings is identified as Projects 29 and 31 on the County's Local Mitigation Strategy Prioritized Project List. Funding the Hurricane Shutter project will fulfill Notice of Fund Availability Priority Area B since it assists in the implementation of our LMS Prioritized Project List. Funding the Hurricane Generator for the Special Needs Shelter project will also fulfill Notice of Fund Availability Priority Area B since it assists in the implementation of our Local Mitigation Strategy Prioritized Project List Project 62 - Acquisition of Emergency Generators and Pumps. A. Hurricane Shutters - $5,300: St. Lucie County Emergency Management and Road & Bridge staff determined that the following project is needed to minimize chaos during a severe weather event. To protect the functioning of the county's traffic signals, hurricane shutters should be purchased and installed to the Traffic Operations and Road & Bridge Office buildings. One of the two buildings proposed for the installation of hurricane shutters house the County's radio dispatch center for both the truck and hand held units for the entire division. By installing the shutters, the dispatch staff responsible for reporting information to the emergency crews will also be protected from hurricane force winds ensuring that two-way communication will not be disrupted. The shutters for the second Traffic Operations building will protect the employees working the disaster inside the building and protect the critical computer system responsible for controlling the County's traffic signals. The Traffic OPS Building further contains equipment, which operates the signal timing of the traffic lights and the software for all of the programs. If the shutters are not put in place and this computer system is damaged, all the traffic signals will become inoperable and will cause extreme chaos throughout the County hindering the evacuation and recovery process. By protecting this equipment, the County will be able to keep confusion at traffic lights to a minimum. In addition, the intersections within the county should continue to function in order to ensure public safety for the citizens, law enforcement, emergency personnel and County personnel that are trying to make the roadways passable. If the County would be required to replace this critical equipment due to damage from a hurricane event; the cost for both new equipment and the installation would far outweigh the cost of installing protective storm shutters. Without the radio center, communication between the emergency personnel at the Road & Bridge Division and the other County support service would amount to face-to-face meetings thereby, cutting the operations communication in half while increasing the amount of time per operation. This would seriously slow the recovery process if the County had to order a new traffic signal computer system and/or radio dispatch system and wait a for several weeks to get it. If these buildings were kept secure with shutters, all 180,000 citizens of this county would benefit from it. The law enforcement and emergency personnel could focus their time on major problems instead of directing traffic due to signal problems caused by '-' damage to the primary traffic control computer system. Shutters would be the most economical way of protecting this equipment. Both the radio center and the traffic control computers are already housed in concrete block buildings and short of building bunkers for their protection this is the most effective means to ensure the safety of the equipment and the employees working the disaster events. At the present time, there are no funds in the County budget to cover the cost of shutters. According to the bids from "Expert Shutter Services Inc.", only $5,300 will be required to secure both buildings with Dade County Approved Shutters. By installing shutters, the County can have confidence that the traffic control system should be able to withstand hurricane force winds and thus continue to function throughout the storm. Previously, the County installed a back-up generator, which further ensures the operation of the traffic signalization during a storm. Thus, shutters would benefit the County through all phases of a storm from emergency preparedness, response, recovery and hazard mitigation. B. Special Needs Shelter Emergency Generator and other safety improvements: In addition to purchasing hurricane shutters for the County's Traffic Operation buildings, St. Lucie County Emergency Management team identified several safety improvements for the County Special Needs Shelter. The primary need for the Shelter is to install a 500KW gas generator system strong enough to run air conditioning, lights, and electrical outlets for oxygen tanks and life-sustaining equipment. Additional improvements proposed to the Special Needs Shelter include enlarging the bathrooms to accommodate Americans with disabilities, adding a wheel chair lift, and for funds for permitting and engineering to alleviate flooding to the shelter's parking lot. \w St. Lucie County staff and emergency management personnel have determined that the County's Civic Center's Special Needs Shelter could hold 400 of the 634 registered special needs citizens in the county. The newer Port St. Lucie shelter can hold up to 200 special needs individuals from southern St. Lucie County. Since many of the special needs residents require uninterrupted connections to electrical plugs for oxygen tanks, the current generator is inadequate since the entire County Administration complex is connected to it only leaving enough power for four 220 plugs and one 110 plug at the Special Needs Shelter. In addition, the air conditioning cannot run and the lights automatically dim due to the lack of power from the existing Administration Complex generator which is not acceptable when the shelter is supposed to provide refuge for 400 special needs residents. Since the County recently equipped the Civic Center Special Needs Shelter with hurricane shutters over the doors for $28,000, the next most essential item is the purchase of a generator to run the air conditioning unit, essential medical equipment, the kitchen and additional electrical outlets. Since it is very probable that an electricity outage could occur at this shelter even during a Category 1 storm, it is essential that the generator be purchased to provide air conditioning and functioning electric outlets for our county's special need residents. \..., Emergency managers are gravely concerned about losing power at the special needs shelter. If power was lost, the existing generator does not even run the air condition units and only a few power outlets. Many special needs evacuees would have to be rushed into an ambulance and carried to an overcrowded hospital. In the past, many of \... the special needs residents find a reason to go into the hospital because they know they will have electrical power for their medical devices. Thus, if we could provide a facility that could guarantee electricity, those special needs residents that only go to the hospital for electricity can be comfortable at the shelter. The hospital staff will benefit because they can save those beds for patients that come in with detrimental emergencies. Ambulance staff will benefit because they do not have to keep extra ambulances and extra paramedics at the shelter to rush electricity-needing evacuees to the hospital. Since many of the caregivers bring their special needs patients to the shelter, it is essential for their health to provide a safe and secure parking area free of flooding. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the existing facility. The parking lot's original drainage system design has failed. Twenty years ago the County built their parking lot out of pervious surface, so the water would seep through it. The parking lot's pores clogged with sand and other debris converting the parking lot to an impervious surface. When it rains, it looks like a manmade concrete pond with tree islands. The County grant request is to fund an engineering firm to survey, design and permit a drainage / retention system. The County will investigate future funding sources and Road and Bridge staff time to construct the drainage improvements to the parking lot. By providing better drainage to the parking lot, citizens utilizing the special needs shelter will not have to walk and/or slip through at least a foot of parking lot water. Once the nursing equipment and clothing are soaked from parking lot water, evacuees could catch a cold or aggravate their existing illness. Serious health problems could be prevented if we could resolve this major drainage and safety issue. ~ Providing a safe special needs shelter and hurricane evacuation transportation routes are identified as goals and requirements of the following local and state statues rules or plan and attached to this section: · Florida Administrative Code 9J-5.012 Coastal Management Section (2)(e); · Florida Statues Chapter 163.3178(d) Coastal Management; · Florida Statues Chapter 252.36 Emergency Management powers of the Governor; · State Comprehensive Plan Goal 7 and Policy 22 and 23; · County Comprehensive La'nd Use Plan Coastal Element Objectives 7.2.2 and 7.2.3. Maintaining a safe Special Needs Shelter and protecting the Traffic Operations buildings for dispatch and emergency personal and traffic control computer systems is exactly the type of projects that promote and facilitate all aspects of Evacuation, Sheltering, and Special Needs Populations and will achieve the intent set forth in the most recently adopted version of Section 252.385, Florida Statutes. \...r If the contracts are signed in April, 2001, the County should be able to hire a contractor through the Request For Proposal process. The contracted services could be completed by June of 2001, the start of the hurricane season. Once shutters are installed, the immediate short-term benefits will be protection for the 2001 hurricane season. The long-term benefits of this project will be long-term protection for two Road and Bridge Operation Buildings that house the radio communication system, and signal control \...r computer equipment and the staff that is responsible for making sure the disaster needs are met. This will be an immediate tangible emergency management benefit that furthers state and local objectives to provide a safe special needs shelter. Once the emergency generator is connected to the electrical system at the Civic Center Special Needs Shelter, emergency managers will be relieved that the building is prepared for a power outage. This will benefit evacuees immediately for the 2001 hurricane season and for many years to come. The generator and associated electrical work will provide emergency power to the Civic Center through the existing electrical system and allow the center to function as if normal power were available. The automatic switch-gear, which is part of the electrical work funded through this grant, will automatically start the emergency generator system and provide power to the building. Further, it will ensure sufficient power to support necessary medical equipment for those evacuees requiring special needs. With the County providing a new stove and a wheelchair lift and half of the funds for ADA restrooms, the shelter will be more comfortable for the evacuees during times of disaster. \.. If the contracts are signed in April 2001, the County will hire a contractor through the Request For Proposal process and contract for the services to be complete by June of 2001. Once the generator is permanently installed and tied down to withstand hurricane force winds, it will provide long-term health and safety benefits to over 400 special needs citizens throughout the entire year. The Special Needs Shelter is available throughout the year to assist in sheltering citizens during hurricane season, wildfire season and other human disaster such as a fire at the local fertilizer plant or nuclear power accident. Thus, the long-term benefits of completing this very important purchase will ensure the maintenance of a safe refuge for St. Lucie County special needs citizens for many years. The long-range tangible emergency management benefits will occur once the new drainage system is constructed for the Civic Center Special Needs Shelter. This grant application proposes to hire an engineering firm to survey, design and permit drainage retrofits to the primary parking area for the Special Needs Shelter. The immediate tangible benefit that will occur by the grant completion deadline includes a permittable solution to this very bad drainage problem. Currently, the County does not have funds budgeted or engineering staff time available to assist in the design of the new retention system. Once design and permitting is complete, the county can identify funds to hire a local contractor or utilize Road & Bridge staff to complete the drainage retrofits by 2003. This option of fixing the problem completely will provide long-term benefits to the citizens utilizing the Special Needs Shelter by providing a parking lot without lake-sized puddles. \...r One of the most important short and long-term benefits that will occur from the improvements to the Special Needs Shelters is freeing up one of the Fire Department's ambulances. During past emergency events, an extra ambulance and additional paramedics stayed at the special needs shelter because they feared the electricity would go out and the special needs evacuees would have to be rushed to the hospital or treated on site. Thus, if the generator is purchased and installed before the 2001 hurricane season, extra emergency personal and their equipped vehicle will not have to be tied up at the shelter and can go out to the community where they may be needed ~ most. There will always be a number of trained paramedics and at least one ambulance on site at the special needs shelter but the fear of losing electricity and its detrimental impacts will not occur once a generator is put in place thus allowing other paramedics to continue their rescue work in the community. The County has allocated the following funds in the Capital Improvement Plan for: $28,000 to assist in remodeling bathrooms for ADA use; $7,000 for a wheel chair lift; and $4,000 for a new stove to prepare food or boil water in emergency events. As stated earlier, the County recently invested $28,000 for strong hurricane doors. County staff time will also be available for project management and quality assurances and staffing for the special needs shelter and traffic operations building. Primarily the grant funds will be used to: · Purchase and install hurricane shutters for two traffic operations buildings responsible for staff and critical equipment for $5,300; · Purchase a 500kW generator for the Special Needs Shelter for $80,000; · Install electrical wiring for 500kW generator for $22,500; · Retrofit restroom for ADA for 50% of project cost equals $28,000; and · Contract engineering firm for survey, plan and design parking lot retrofit for Special Needs Shelter $50,000. The County match for this project will include: \... · · · · · · The time of the Public Safety Manager as Project Director for $4,000; The time of the Central Services staff to work with the generator installation contractors for $1,000; The time of the Central Services Department to construct the slab and wall for the generator and other miscellaneous concrete work for $4,000; The purchase and installation of a wheel chair lift for $7,000: The purchase and installation of a stove for $4,000; and Retrofit restrooms for ADA for 50% of project cost equals $28,000. The total match for this grant is $48,000 while the total grant request is $185,800. Although the County cannot commit to a greater match at this time, the County can commit to having trained emergency staff and volunteers at the shelter during times of hurricane disasters. The County has also been actively improving the Special Needs Shelter with local funds by reinforcing the walls with beams and installing hurricane shutters to improve the safety conditions for the special need residents. County staff will oversee the contractors to ensure that the contract requirements are fulfilled and ensure that the final products can sustain hurricane winds. ~ 5 ~ PORTABLE ANIMAL STALLS FOR REGIONAL ANIMAL COLLECTION SITE ~ FUNDING REQUEST $118,000 \...- St. Lucie County Emergency Managers and the St. Lucie County Fair Association have determined that there is a Statewide and a County needs to construct a new fairground facility ~ that could be used as an emergency collection site for small and large animals during disaster situations. Since the fair is being moved from its original location of 35 years at the airport to this new 250 acres site, the County realizes the importance of building a new facility that can serve as an emergency evacuation center for humans and animals. This first phase at the new fairgrounds will include a Multi-Purpose Show and Exhibition Arena that will be used for typical fair activities and most importantly for an emergency shelter for small and large animals. When major funding is available, the County also plans to construct a badly needed Joint Use Regional Disaster Control Center and Special Needs Shelter at the same 250-acre site. Providing a small animal shelter for emergencies situations is identified as item number 74 in St. Lucie County Unified Local Mitigation Strategy. This was determined as an important goal for the County to resolve since there are no facilities in this region available to assist in emergency housing for small and large animals. This grant proposal is for the purchase of 150 galvanized steel Versa-stalls that can be used for either one large horse-size animal or broken down into four smaller stalls for dogs, pigs, goats, and sheep. The grant request also includes a small amount of funds to assist in the development of a St. Lucie County Large and Small Animal Disaster Plan which will include this facility as a statewide large-animal evacuation center. The request is also for the purchase of water and feed bowls, publications and videos already developed for educating the public on how to prepare animals for disasters. St. Lucie County's match for this grant is $270,000 that is already allocated by the Board of County Commissioners for the construction of the Multi- Purpose Show and Exhibition Arena, a 250'x180' covered facility. It can be used for fair events but most importantly as an emergency collection site for animals before and/or after a disaster. The Fair Association will also build additional barns that can also be used as holding areas. \..- Since the new fairgrounds and associated emergency holding area for large and small animals will be located on State Road 70 six miles west of Interstate-95 and the Florida Turnpike it can conveniently serve the four county area of Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Indian River and Martin Counties and is easily accessed from the west coast via SR 70. This site will serve as a large and small animal emergency collection site for: · Animals during an evacuation event associated with fire disasters; · Animals regionally located in flood zone areas during hurricane events; · Animals from other area of the state that need to evacuate to a safe site; and · Animals that are rounded up after a disaster event that have escaped due to fallen fences or flood conditions. In the case of Hurricane Floyd, owners of very expensive and prized horses from St. Lucie County attempted to bring their horses to the State Fairgrounds in Tampa but this emergency collection site filled up almost instantly. Volusia County Fairgrounds in Deland is another possible site in the state where horse owners could go but also fills up very quickly, especially during the evacuation associated with the central Florida fires. St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee and West Palm are areas of the state that have high numbers of large animal owners that require a place to move their animals in times of emergency since many farms are located in flood zones areas. Many of these horses are not just family pets but are expensive show or breeding animals that range in value from $5000 to $50,000. Horses and other small and large animals are important economies for the State because it provides hundreds of thousands of jobs, businesses and very expensive real estate. ~ In some cases, people do not evacuate if there is not a safe area to bring their primary possessions like their horse or dog. To prevent people from staying in an unsafe area, or traveling on the roads towing a horse trailer, this new fairground facility will provide a sensible option for these animal owners. The County plans to build on this site a Special Needs Shelter and Emergency Shelter that could possibly accommodate the large and small animal owners. \. Providing a small and large animal shelter for emergencies situations is identified as item number 74 in St. Lucie County Unified Local Mitigation Strategy. This project is consistent with the following emergency management priorities as identified in the Notice of Fund Availability: · Projects that will promote and facilitate all aspects of evacuation, sheltering, and Special Needs Populations and will achieve the intent as set forth in the most recently adopted version of Section 252.385, Florida Statutes: · Projects which implement the community's Local Hazard Mitigation Strategy; · Projects which will improve emergency management capabilities in any of the following fundamental areas of response or recovery: Damage Assessment / Analysis and Debris Management. By providing education to animal owners on how to prepare their animals for a disaster event, there will be less chance for accidents involving loose animals facilitating a smoother evacuation. When one considers the amount of chaos that could occur on the roadways in the evacuation process if horses or other large animals escape due to a downed fence and tie up traffic while it is loose along the roadway or when it is hit on the roadway. In addition, horse owners that do not leave early enough to get ahead of the traffic will have a hard time maneuvering in the traffic with a large, unstable horse trailer behind them. Horse trailers are unstable in high wind conditions and could easily turn over and tie up the evacuation route for several hours. To ensure that the evacuation process functions as smoothly as possible in emergency situations, it would be proactive to first educate animal owners on proper procedures and for St. Lucie County to have a location that can accept large and small animals from this region of the state. This will prevent animal owners from staying home in dangerous situations and/or traveling with an unstable load of expensive animals. ~ The St. Lucie County Large and Small Animal Disaster Plan will also have specific steps spelled out on how to assess and analyze damage associated with stray or dead animals. This Animal Disaster Plan will be coordinated and approved by the Emergency Management Team and will be an essential component of the recovery process. Staff and volunteers will have a plan to follow to round up the loose animals, have a secure place to keep them and veterinarians available for emergency care. Presently St. Lucie County does not have a plan and does not have a safe place to hold animals before or after a disaster. If an Animal Disaster Plan and a shelter is in place complete with stalls funded through this grant, St. Lucie County Emergency Management Team can focus on the human emergencies while the Animal Disaster Team can follow their plan to resolve the animal emergencies. This project is a short-term project with long-term benefits. There are two primary goals of this project. Purchasing Versa-stalls and associated items for the emergency animal collection site is a very simple project that can be completed soon after the contracts are signed between the County and the State. Once contracts are signed and the committee determines exactly the type of food containers, hoses and disinfectants that will work in this situation, purchase orders will be completed for delivery before 2001 Hurricane Season. Since the stalls will be portable and strong, emergency managers can use the stalls for horses, goats, pigs and dogs for approximately twenty years at the Fairgrounds animal collection site or anywhere else in the County or State if the emergency need warrants it. The second goal of this project is to develop a Large and Small Animal Disaster Plan that can be a step-by-step plan on how to handle specific animal emergencies. The committee will develop solutions to some of these most critical animal emergency problems triggered by disaster events: \..... \...- · Runaway animals on the evacuation and return routes due to downed fences; · Animal collection area site management (food, water, medical care, volunteers); · Policies on euthanasia and how to dispose of small and large numbers of animals to limit spread of disease; and · Return of animals to their rightful owners. The direct benefits of this project is having a shelter and trained volunteer and paid staff aware of the procedures necessary to run a program that can assess the problems, determine the solutions, and quickly resolve the situation. If the county does not have portable stalls and an Animal Disaster Plan in place, the amount of problems that could occur have recently been experienced in North Carolina after Hurricane Floyd. Drinking water supplies were contaminated and large numbers of animals had to be disposed of quickly before disease spread into the community. An indirect benefit is how an Animal Disaster Plan and the purchase of stalls can benefit all of the people traveling through St. Lucie County evacuation and return routes. Just by having a place to put loose horses, cattle and dogs during the recovery process will benefit the movement of traffic back into the communities. Throughout the state, many evacuation corridors are lined with cattle or horse farms that could lead to animals escaping over a downed fence into traffic causing even greater tie-ups. ~ Although one may first think this project benefits only animal owners, look again at the indirect benefits for residents of St. Lucie County and others evacuating through the County. Since the portable stalls can be transported to a farm with a downed fence and used as holding pens on the farm while fences are being repaired, drivers on evacuation routes benefit by the capture of the loose cows and horses. The 4-H students and their parents may be a good group that could handle the fence repair, round up and care of the animals. The 4-H members participating on the committee may choose to practice rounding up their animals on different farms to prepare everyone, animal and person, the procedures of responding to disaster situations. Thus, if there is a plan to assess downed fences along primary corridors and people ready to round them up and stalls to put them in, drivers evacuating or returning to homes will be safer since the large animals will not be roaming the roadways. Thus, indirectly this project benefits all the people traveling through the county's primary corridors: SR 70 - Okeechobee Road, 1-95, Florida Turnpike, Midway Road, US 1, and Orange Avenue. This project will benefit large animal owners statewide since a new shelter will be available to hold animals evacuated from another county due to floods, fires and hurricanes. Since there are very few areas in the state designed to accept large influxes of large animals, this facility will benefit other counties by: · Providing a temporary holding site for other disaster areas so they do not have to build and man temporary facilities; · Providing stalls and fenced arenas for farms that are waiting for flood waters to recede or fires to simmer; and · Saving the state and federal government's time and money by having a designated plan in place to limit the number of additional problems that could occur on the roadways or in the flooded waterways. The stalls and the Animal Disaster Plan developed in one year could be used to achieve the emergency management objective identified in the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan 1998 for: '-' . Prompt and efficient response and recovery activities to protect lives and property affected by emergencies; '-' · Recover from emergencies by providing for the rapid and orderly implementation of restoration and rehabilitation programs for persons and properties affected by emergencies; and · Assist in anticipation, recognition, appraisal, prevention, and mitigation of emergencies that may be caused by inadequate planning for, and regulation of, public and private facilities and land use. The benefits of the county developing and implementing a Large and Small Animal Disaster Plan complete with a facility constructed by the County and stall and educational materials provided by this grant, will be great. Animal owners will learn how to prepare their animals and farm for a disaster, how to mark their animals for retrieval, and how to assist in the recovery and fence repair process. Residents and tourists evacuating along St. Lucie County's highways (SR- 70, 1-95, Florida Turnpike) will benefit since the county has an efficient plan to use locals to prevent the strays from crossing the highways. Finally, this project could benefit farms and large animals throughout the state that have been temporarily displaced from their homes due to fires, floods, droughts or hurricanes. The long-term benefits will continue once the volunteer organization begin practicing some of the drills: how to round up animals; inventory of supplies at home and at the evacuation center; inventory of loose fence wires and stalls; basic first aid techniques for animals and humans. Although some of this information is covered in 4-H and other animal organizations, practicing disaster recovery steps may even turn into a new contest category at 4-H or even scouting events. Overall, practicing the implementation of the recovery plan will lead to greater coordination and respect between the agencies and volunteer groups. This project is consistent with the following purposes of the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan 1998: \.. · Reduce the vulnerability of people and communities of this state to loss of life, injury, or damage and loss of property resulting from natural, technological or man-made emergencies, catastrophes, or hostile military or paramilitary action; · Prepare for prompt and efficient response and recovery activities to protect lives and property affected by emergencies; · Recover from emergencies by providing for the rapid and orderly implementation of restoration and rehabilitation programs for persons and property affected by emergencies; and · Assist in anticipation, recognition, appraisal, prevention, and mitigation of emergencies that may be caused or aggravated by inadequate planning for, and regulation of, public and private facilities and land use. \.... \...- INDIAN RIVER ESTATES DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS ~ FUNDING REQUEST $103,855 \... ~ Indian River Estates Drainage Improvements - St. Lucie County Emergency Management, Engineering and Road & Bridge staff determined that the following project is needed to considerably reduce the flooding that results in this subdivision due to its proximity to the western border of the Savannah State Preserve. Drainage improvements for this subdivision are identified as Project 12 on the County's Local Mitigation Strategy Prioritized Project List. This project will also fulfill the State's Priority Area B while implementing the Community's LMS by alleviating a major storm water drainage problem. By retrofitting the drainage system, the LMS Project 12 will be met. Funding for this project will enable the Road & Bridge department to continue with work to alleviate the repetitive flooding problems experienced in this area. Our aim this fiscal year (2000-2001) is to reestablish the drainage and place an asphalt milling surface on the three (3) North-South roadways that still have a dirt surface. By placing the asphalt milling surface on these roadways, we will be eliminating the main reason for drainage blockages. Before we can place the asphalt milling surface on these roadways, we must replace a total of twenty-one (21) small cross pipes and four (4) large cross pipes. By replacing the cross pipes at the time of the roadway construction, we will be able to focus our attention on the remaining drainage problems since the life expectancy for a cross pipe is approximately ten (10) years. We also need to replace forty (40) small cross pipes and twenty (20) large cross pipes on the remaining ten (10) streets as these pipes are in various stages of deterioration and will block drainage in areas that the swale maintenance has already been performed. After this year, there will still be twelve (12) streets that will need to be scheduled for swale excavation and reinstatement at which time the entire subdivision will have been addressed. \...- This subdivision is a constant area of concern to St. Lucie County's Emergency Managers and the State Land Managers as it drains into the Savannah State Preserve due to the possible pollutants building up from septic tanks during flood conditions. If water is moved quickly from the subdivision to the Preserve's basin, there is less chance for the septic tanks to seep into the flood waters. As well as less chance for contaminants from the septic tank to seep into the drinking water wells. Thus, moving flood water quickly from the Indian River Estates subdivision to the adjacent basin benefits both residents and the preserve. '-' . :~4,1 .-;!!o.'«<.... ,~,. ". __.n~~~ ,c> ~. 1 ~ This subdivision's storm water drains into the Savannahs State Preserve's Outstanding Florida Waters and the majority of the flood water stands in the easternmost portion of the subdivision. Over the past several years, the Road & Bridge department have made improvements in this area by replacing some of the cross pipes as well as adding pipes and clearing undergrowth where the water drains into the Preserve. If funded, the Road & Bridge Department will be able to complete retrofitting the drainage system for three major roadways in Indian River Estates. When St. Lucie County has a major flood event, the existing cross pipes still in need of replacement can not handle the volume of water that is trying to move through them. To alleviate this serious drainage problem, we will increase the diameter of any new cross pipes from their existing diameter by possibly one size up or even by placing double pipes at a number of intersections. This would, to some extent, help move the water from the subdivision to the Preserve's basin. There are approximately 1 ,800 single family residences in this subdivision that rely on septic tanks and wells. Our first and foremost objective is to eliminate as much standing water as feasibly possible. By doing this, we hope to eliminate the possibility of the septic systems becoming inoperable and the wells from becoming contaminated by sewage. We want to do everything possible to protect the citizens of St. Lucie County from the potential of disease as well as keep contaminated water from entering into the Savannah State Preserve. The County plans to replace twenty-one (21) small cross pipes and four (4) large cross pipes on the three (3) roads that are to receive the asphalt milling surfaces within one (1) year from the execution of the grant contracts. This short term project will have long term benefits since the flooding problems will be minimized within this specific area. \.,... This project has a projected commencement date of April, 2001 with a target completion date of August, 2001. This portion of the drainage improvements represents the fourth stage of an eight stage project to encompass the entire Indian River Estates subdivision. This portion can be marked in three (3) milestones, those being the installation of the cross pipes, the reinstatement of the swales and finally the road surface treatment consisting of asphalt millings. St. Lucie County is dedicated to alleviating the repetitive flooding problems that occur in this subdivision. The Road & Bridge Department is responsible for providing maintenance and performing operations on County roadways and drainage facilities. Road maintenance includes miscellaneous drainage work as well as culvert repair/replacement. The Road & Bridge Department's Drainage Division has planned to install approximately 2,000 feet of culvert as well as resurface 14 miles of roadways with asphalt millings. The Road & Bridge Department's Storm Water Division has an Enhanced Maintenance Program in place which consists of both public and private contracts to clean and restore canals, ditches, and swales to a condition which provides effective storm water management for the unincorporated area of the County. This includes over 1,100 miles of ditches and swales. The portion of the Capital Improvements Project budget to be used for the swale maintenance contract in Indian River Estates subdivision will be $135,000.00 or 20,000 lineal feet. ~ 2 ~ This project is consistent with the purpose of the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP). Chapter 252, Florida Statutes (State Emergency Management Act), mandates the development of the Florida CEMP which acts as the framework for how we are to respond to, recover from and/or mitigate situations from a variety of disasters. This is an operations-oriented plan and we feel that by replacing all of the cross pipes in the subdivision and resurfacing the remaining dirt roadways in Indian River Estates subdivision, we will be fulfilling the prime directive of this plan in regards to this area. Upgrading the existing drainage is consistent with the S1. Lucie County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan under the Annex II, Hazard Mitigation Program. On page 17 of Annex II, it states "Hazard Mitigation includes activities that contribute to the prevention or alleviation of adverse occurrences resulting from the impact of hazardous incidents, natural or manmade. All the disaster preparedness efforts should be directed towards public safety and the protections of lives and properties". Also, in S1. Lucie County's Local Hazard Mitigation Strategy Program Annual Report 2000, it is noted on page 2 under the heading of Flood Management Plan of LMS Document that Indian River Estates is one of the 48 specific areas where storm water drainage is a known problem. \..... Since Indian River Estates has a documented history of extensive flooding, S1. Lucie County's major concern is for its citizens. If a major flood event happened that would disable the wells and septic systems in this subdivision, our emergency management resources would be taxed. To provide shelter and provisions for even a portion of the residents that would be displaced due to flooding would be an horrendous task. There are approximately 1,800 single family residences in this subdivision which would account for at least 3,600 individuals. Since we are trying to accomplish upgrading the existing drainage (both culverts and swale excavations) to keep flooding to a minimum, this grant application is consistent with this section in the County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The County match for this project will include: · The time of the Drainage Maintenance Supervisor as Project Manager for $3,503.00; · The money budgeted for the millings project for these three (3) dirt roadways is $90,000.00; · The money budgeted for the swale maintenance contract for these three (3) dirt roadways is $135,000.00; and · The money budgeted for driveway culvert and surface replacement contract for these three (3) dirt roadways is $25,000.00. The grant funds will be used for: · The purchase and installation of 21 small cross pipes and 4 large pipes on these three (3) dirt roadways is $98,855.00, and Indirect booking and grant management costs of $5,000.00. · \...r 3 '-' WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN FOR ST. LUCIE COUNTY \.,.. FUNDING REQUEST $157,500 \...- '-' \.." ~ The goal of this grant application is the preparation and implementation of a countywide wildfire mitigation plan. This plan will bring together the three municipalities within the County as well as the Fire District and other outside agencies. If this grant application is funded, the proposed project will promote, facilitate and implement a portion of the St. Lucie County Local Mitigation Plan (Priority 4B) and will improve the emergency management capabilities for preparedness, response and recovery during a wildfire event (Priority 4C). The preparation of a wildfire mitigation plan is identified as Project Number 71 on the County's Local Mitigation Strategy Prioritized Project List. Funding the Wildfire Mitigation Plan project will fulfill Notice of Fund Availability Priority Area B since it assists in the implementation of the County's Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Prioritized Project List. Wildfire Mitigation Plan: St. Lucie County Emergency Management and the Local Mitigation Strategy Committee determined that the project under consideration is necessary to minimize chaos during a wildfire event. To protect the functioning of the county's and municipal governments emergency operations during a fire event and to provide for the safety of the citizens of the county, the preparation of a wildfire mitigation plan should be completed and implemented. Within, 8t. Lucie County most wildfires occur during Florida's dry season, from January through May. The Division of Forestry and/or other federal fire control personnel protects approximately, one-third of the total land within St. Lucie County. However, due to limited state and federal resources, the St. Lucie County Fire District responds to most wildfires and is supported by the Florida Division of Forestry. The City of Port St. Lucie and the unincorporated areas north and west of Fort Pierce are particularly vulnerable to wildfire at the urban interface zone. In the spring of 1999, St. Lucie County experienced three days of uncontrolled wildfires that destroyed approximately 1,200 acres of land and 43 homes in Port St. Lucie plus, damaged an additional 76 homes. The total estimated damages to the 130 structures were $5,066,776.00 with uninsured losses estimated at more than $1,000,000.00 additional dollars. Direct expenses incurred by St. Lucie County in fighting these fires were $795,556.00, and an additional $40,597.00 were incurred by Martin and Palm Beach County as they assisted St. Lucie County in their fire suppression efforts. If the County had an adopted fire mitigation plan in effect and implemented the plan, there is a potential that the overall cost of the damage and the amount of damage could have been far less than the resulting damages. During the fire suppression efforts, the roles of the governmental entities working with the fire district became very convoluted. Thereby, the efforts of the Fire District were diminished due to overcoming the political arena. The Wildfire Mitigation Plan will emphasize the role each governmental entity will play in the event of a wildfire occurring. By implementing a wildfire plan, the County will be able to insure that the most appropriate and best practices are utilized to contain the fire with the least amount of damage to residential and commercial properties. During the Port St. Lucie wildfires in 1999, due to inconsistencies over directions, there was mass confusion at roadway intersections within the impacted areas. It was very difficult to contain the fire due to citizen's attempting to enter into areas that were off limits due to the fire. The Fire District was unable to communicate effectively with the other agencies called in to help contain the fires. One goal of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan will be to provide a specific role to each individual entity as the crisis unfurls. In this manner, the Sheriffs volunteer citizen group may be called upon to direct traffic, which in turn, will free up the Sheriff and Fire District personnel to focus completely on citizen safety and containing the fire. This in turn will help to keep the intersections within the county functioning, in order, to ensure public safety for the citizens, law enforcement, emergency personnel and County personnel that are trying to make the roadways passable. In addition, if it is necessary to obtain additional machinery or equipment, the Fire District will already have established contacts and know which organization has the equipment on standby. ,--. At the present time, there are no funds in the County budget to cover the development and implementation of a wildfire mitigation plan. Approximately $157,500.00 will be required to develop and implement a Wildfire Mitigation Plan. By preparing a wildfire mitigation plan, the County can have confidence that the internal emergency operations would work at its peak performance. In addition, delays and confusion at roadway intersections can be minimized within impacted areas, allowing for a peak traffic operating system and ensuring citizen safety. Providing a safe process to be implemented on a countywide basis, if a wildfire occurs is important, as it will reduce the number of fatalities, reduce property damage and provide an effective tool for open communication between the county and other municipalities. The preparation and implementation of a Wildfire Mitigation Plan will further the identified goals and requirements of the following local and state statues, rules or plan and will be submitted as part of the final submittal packet: · Florida Statues Chapter 252.35 Emergency Management Powers; Division of Emergency Management; · Florida Statues Chapter 252.36 Emergency Management powers of the Governor; · State Comprehensive Plan Goal 7, Policy 23 and Goal 21, Policies 5 and 7; and, · County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Emergency Support Function #4. '-' The immediate tangible emergency management benefits that will occur once the wildfire mitigation plan is complete will benefit emergency preparedness for several years. Upon implementation, the Wildfire Mitigation Plan will provide a plan of action and mitigation procedures in the event of a wildfire event. The plan itself will not be a static document. The plan should be updated periodically to reflect new technical information and necessary changes when implemented following a crisis. Upon a crisis occurring, the Fire District and Emergency Management Team may note necessary changes, which will insure that the plan is effective for what it was required/requested to do. If the contracts are signed in April 2001, the County should be able to hire a consultant through the Request for Bid process and contract for the services to be completed by June 2002. Upon completion of the wildfire mitigation plan, the short-term benefits will be a complete mapping of wildfire prone areas. In turn, the Fire District in coordination with the County and Division of Forestry can provide information on reducing the existing fuel sources and ways to reduce property damage in the event of a wildfire. The long-term benefits of this project will be long-term protection for the 180,000 citizens of St. Lucie County and the private property of these citizens. Upon implementation of the plan, the ultimate long-term benefit of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan will be to insure that in the event that a wildfire occurs and it becomes uncontained, the Fire District and Emergency Management will have the most appropriate and best practices to utilize to ensure the least amount of damage to residential and commercial properties. The long-range tangible emergency management benefits will occur if another wildfire outbreak occurs. The plan itself will provide a countywide effort to prepare, adopt and implement a plan that is acceptable to all players. The plan of action outlined within the Wildfire Mitigation Plan will provide all parties involved in the crisis with a certain role and provide a better response to the citizens in order to reduce property damage and the chance of injury to the citizens of the county. This grant application proposes to hire a consultant to work with St. Lucie County staff, Port St. Lucie staff, City of Ft. Pierce staff, the St. Lucie County Fire District Staff, Village of St. Lucie staff and citizen groups to design a plan that meets the needs of St. Lucie County during a wildfire event. The immediate tangible benefit that will occur by the grant completion deadline ........ includes a plan that has the following goal: '-' ~ \... . The reduction of potential costs and losses to life, homes, businesses and public infrastructure from wildland fire within St. Lucie County; One of the most important short and long-term benefits that will occur from the preparation of a wildfire mitigation plan is the communication between the County, Municipal Governments, St. Lucie County Fire District and the citizens of St. Lucie County. Currently, the County does not have funds budgeted to assist in the design of the wildfire mitigation plan. County staff time will be available for project management and quality assurances. The preparation of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan is consistent with page 1, - Purpose - #1 of the State Comprehensive Emeroencv Manaoement Plan 1998, because it will reduce the vulnerability of people and communities of this state to loss of life, injury, or damage by ensuring a process for response and outlining mitigation efforts that can take place, prior to a wildfire occurring. By ensuring that a plan of action is in place the county will continue to function, loss of life and property will be minimized because people will be able to evacuate more safely, and the roles will be identified for each person assisting in the crisis. County Staff in the dispatch center can notify road and bridge personnel where they are needed to assist in the crisis, to remove debris in the road or in other areas to facilitate as smooth evacuation as possible. A Wildfire Mitigation Plan is also consistent with purposes #2, #3, #4 and #5: prepare for prompt and efficient response and recovery activities to protect lives and property affected by emergencies; respond to emergencies using all systems; recover from emergencies by providing rapid and orderly implementation of restoration and rehabilitation programs; and assist in appraisal, prevention and mitigation of the emergency.