STATE OF LOUISIANA
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
2014 UPDATE
admin
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Prepared By:
Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security
and Emergency Preparedness
7667 Independence Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
With Support From:
Department of Geography and Anthropology
Department of Construction Management
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
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STATE OF LOUISIANA
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This 2014 State Hazard Mitigation Plan Update was coordinated by the State Hazard Mitigation
Planning Committee (SHMPC) in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students at Louisiana
State University and East Tennessee State University. The Governor’s Office of Homeland
Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and its director, Kevin Davis, wish to thank all
of the members of the entire State Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (SHMPC) for their
work on plan. Particularly, State Hazard Mitigation Officer Jeffrey Giering’s vision for a
mitigation plan that is readable and useful to the public inspired the whole development of this
Update. Finally, GOHSEP would like to thank the wide range of stakeholder representatives
from federal, state, and local levels of government who provided feedback and expertise on
this document, as well as personnel from non‐governmental organizations. This document is
the richer for such inclusive help.
A list of those individuals who generously aided in the creation of this document follows.
2014 GOHSEP STATE HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING COMMITTEE
Courtney Maciasz
Jim Ferguson
Bonnie Anderson
Melanie Saucier
Karim Belhadjali
Andrea Galinski
Wayne Ryland
Richard Hollowell
Bo Bolourchi
George Chike
Cindy O’Neal
Manuel Martinez
John Callahan
Preston Bates
Scott Van Keuren
Jeffrey Giering
Jason Lachney
Rusti Liner
Steve Garcia
Kathleen Smith
Brenda Cooper
Nicolette English
Keith Horn
Jubal Marceaux
Capital Region Planning Committee
City of Baton Rouge Department of Public Works
City of Carencro
Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Coastal Protection and Restoration
Department of Corrections
Department of Health and Hospitals
DOTD
DOTD
DOTD
Facility Planning and Control
GOHSEP
GOHSEP
GOHSEP
State Hazard Mitigation Officer
GOHSEP
GOHSEP
GOHSEP
GOHSEP
GOHSEP Mitigation Planner
GOHSEP Mitigation Planner
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
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STATE OF LOUISIANA
Eddie Skena
Nikki Blazies
Nicole Hobson‐Morris
Angie White
Dodi Langlois
Joe Delaune
Melissa Becker
John Rahaim
Jennifer Gerbasi
Charles Reulet
Ronald Moore
Sara Krupa
Gary Ramsey
Melissa Harris
Sandra Turley
Darren Guidry
Pam Roussel
Rebecca Broussard
Doug Zettlemoyer
Collin Simoneaux
Tommy Theibaud
Linda Pace
Jim Ferguson
Bonnie Anderson
Sandra Gunner
William Haygood
Lara Robertson
Pamela Ehlers
Steven Tassin
Pat Skinner
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
LMA
Louisiana State Historical Preservation Office
OCD‐DRU/HMGP
Office of Risk Management
Office of State Fire Marshal
Rapides Area Planning Commission
SBPO/GOHSEP
Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government
LDNR
DOC
LDNR
CRT
ORM
Town of Iowa
GOHSEP /Region 2
GOHSEP/Region 3
Vermilion Parish OEP
GOHSEP / Region 5
GOHSEP / Region 9
Washington Parish OEP
DNR
Floodplain Management Association
Floodplain Management Association
Office of Community Development Disaster Recovery Unit
Office of Community Development Disaster Recovery Unit
Office of Community Development Disaster Recovery Unit
U.S Department of Commerce (Economic Development Administration)
DOTD
LSU AgCenter
2014 GOHSEP STATE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE MEMBERS
Mark Riley
Jeffrey Giering
Deputy Director, Disaster Recovery
State Hazard Mitigation Officer
Steven Garcia
Erin Tramontozzi
Brenda Cooper
Nicolette English
Sandy Dugas
Kim Barnett
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STATE OF LOUISIANA
Problem Resolution Officer
Problem Resolution Officer
Senior Planner
Planner
Disaster Recovery Specialist Team Lead
Disaster Recovery Specialist Team Lead
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
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2014 SHMPC LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY ADVISORY TEAM
Carol J. Friedland, Ph.D., P.E., C.F.M.
T. Andrew Joyner, Ph.D.
Project Manager,
Assistant Professor
Assistant Project Manager, Hazard
Mapping/GIS
Kristopher M. Mecholsky, Ph.D.
Technical Writer
Robert V. Rohli, Ph.D.
Project Manager,
Professor
Joshua Gilliland, M.S.
Hazard Mapping/GIS
Seyed Armin Madani, M.S.
Shandy Ogea, B.S.
Hazus Modeling
Department of Construction
Management
Department of Geography and
Anthropology
Department of Geography and
Anthropology
Department of Geography and
Anthropology
Department of Geography and
Anthropology
Engineering Science Program
SHPO Assessments
Lynne M. Carter, Ph.D.
Climate Subject Matter Expert
Rebekah Jones
Climate Subject Matter Expert
Department of Construction
Management
Southern Climate Impacts Planning
Program
Department of Geography and
Anthropology
STATE HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING COMMITTEE AGENCIES
Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Department of Agriculture and Forestry (DAF)
Department of Corrections
Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Historic Preservation
Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD)
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (DWF)
Division of Administration, (Facility, Planning & Control)
Division of Administration, Office of Community Development, Disaster Recovery Unit (DOA‐OCD‐DRU)
Division of Administration, Office of Risk Management (DOA‐ORM)
Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities (OCA)
Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................... i
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. iv
1.
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1‐1
Location and Hazard Risk ........................................................................................................ 1‐1
Hazard Mitigation ................................................................................................................... 1‐2
General Strategy ..................................................................................................................... 1‐4
The 2014 Plan Update............................................................................................................. 1‐5
2.
Hazard Identification and Statewide Risk Assessment ................................................... 2‐1
Local Risk Assessments ........................................................................................................... 2‐1
State Profile ............................................................................................................................ 2‐5
Geography ........................................................................................................................... 2‐5
Climate ................................................................................................................................ 2‐7
History ................................................................................................................................. 2‐8
Changes in Development Through Land Cover Change Detection ................................... 2‐13
Climatological Hazards .......................................................................................................... 2‐15
Drought ............................................................................................................................. 2‐17
Extreme Heat .................................................................................................................... 2‐22
Flooding............................................................................................................................. 2‐27
Thunderstorms .................................................................................................................. 2‐65
Tornadoes ....................................................................................................................... 2‐108
Tropical Cyclones ............................................................................................................ 2‐130
Wildfires .......................................................................................................................... 2‐176
Winter Weather .............................................................................................................. 2‐197
Geological/Human‐Influenced Hazards .............................................................................. 2‐217
Coastal Hazards ............................................................................................................... 2‐218
Dam Failure ..................................................................................................................... 2‐244
Earthquake ...................................................................................................................... 2‐257
Levee Failure ................................................................................................................... 2‐261
Sinkholes ......................................................................................................................... 2‐273
Summary of Risk Assessments ............................................................................................ 2‐292
Coastal Parishes .............................................................................................................. 2‐293
Inland Southern Parishes ................................................................................................ 2‐294
Central Parishes .............................................................................................................. 2‐294
Northwest Parishes ......................................................................................................... 2‐295
3.
State Historical Properties Risk Assessment .................................................................. 3‐1
4.
Capability Assessment .................................................................................................. 4‐1
State Policies and Programs.................................................................................................... 4‐1
Policies ................................................................................................................................ 4‐1
Programs ............................................................................................................................. 4‐5
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Hazard Management Capabilities ......................................................................................... 4‐17
Personnel Capability.......................................................................................................... 4‐17
Technical Capability .......................................................................................................... 4‐19
Financial Capability ........................................................................................................... 4‐20
Local Capability Assessment ................................................................................................. 4‐36
Coordination of Local Planning ............................................................................................. 4‐38
Local Plan Review Process ................................................................................................. 4‐41
Prioritizing Parish and Municipal Assistance ..................................................................... 4‐41
Maximizing Benefits According to Benefit‐Cost Review of Local Projects ........................ 4‐43
Prioritization of Parishes to Receive HMGP Funding ........................................................ 4‐44
5.
Mitigation Strategy ....................................................................................................... 5‐1
Goals ....................................................................................................................................... 5‐1
Actions .................................................................................................................................... 5‐2
Mitigation Monitoring and Review ....................................................................................... 5‐11
6.
Mitigation in Action ...................................................................................................... 6‐1
Louisiana Mitigation Projects.................................................................................................. 6‐2
Community Education Outreach ......................................................................................... 6‐2
City of Slidell ...................................................................................................................... 6‐81
Parish Mitigation Projects ................................................................................................. 6‐87
Town of Jean Lafitte .......................................................................................................... 6‐93
APPENDICES
A. Planning Process ........................................................................................................... A‐1
Purpose ................................................................................................................................... A‐1
Planning .................................................................................................................................. A‐1
Coordination Among Agencies ............................................................................................... A‐5
Program Integration ............................................................................................................... A‐7
Documentation ....................................................................................................................... A‐9
Meeting #1 ........................................................................................................................ A‐10
Meeting #2 ........................................................................................................................ A‐19
Meeting #3 ........................................................................................................................ A‐23
Meeting #4 ........................................................................................................................ A‐25
Meeting #5 ........................................................................................................................ A‐31
Meeting #6 ........................................................................................................................ A‐35
B.
Plan Maintenance ......................................................................................................... B‐1
Purpose ................................................................................................................................... B‐1
Monitoring, Evaluating and Updating the Plan ....................................................................... B‐1
Responsible Parties ............................................................................................................. B‐1
Methods for Monitoring and Evaluating the Plan ............................................................... B‐2
Plan Evaluation Criteria ....................................................................................................... B‐3
Updating the Plan................................................................................................................ B‐3
2011 Plan Method and Schedule Evaluation ...................................................................... B‐4
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C.
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HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
Mapping Methodology ................................................................................................. C‐1
State Information.................................................................................................................... C‐1
Population ........................................................................................................................... C‐1
State Property ..................................................................................................................... C‐1
Land Cover .......................................................................................................................... C‐2
Climatological Hazards ............................................................................................................ C‐3
Droughts .............................................................................................................................. C‐3
Extreme Heat ...................................................................................................................... C‐3
Flooding............................................................................................................................... C‐4
Thunderstorms .................................................................................................................... C‐5
Tornadoes ........................................................................................................................... C‐6
Tropical Cyclones ................................................................................................................ C‐6
Wildfires .............................................................................................................................. C‐9
Winter Weather .................................................................................................................. C‐9
Geological/Human‐Influenced Hazards .................................................................................. C‐9
Coastal Hazards ................................................................................................................. C‐10
Dam Failure ....................................................................................................................... C‐10
Earthquake ........................................................................................................................ C‐11
Levee Failure ..................................................................................................................... C‐11
Sinkholes ........................................................................................................................... C‐11
Risk and Vulnerability ........................................................................................................... C‐11
D. Plan Adoption ............................................................................................................... D‐1
E.
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Endnotes ...................................................................................................................... E‐1
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HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN