PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to introduce the City of Burbank�s Disaster Mitigation plan, as required by the Stafford Act, and seek approval for its adoption by the City Council

BACKGROUND

Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief Act (Stafford Act), 42 USC, as amended by Section 102 of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, requires all state and local governments to develop comprehensive mitigation plans as a condition of eligibility for future post-disaster mitigation grants after November 4, 2004.  This plan complies with this law, subject to receipt and approval by the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

ANALYSIS

This is the first edition of the City of Burbank�s All-Hazard Mitigation Plan, and through completion of this plan, the City continues many years of commitment to the reduction of risks through hazard mitigation planning.  Burbank has long been a leader in emergency planning and preparedness.  All City departments and particularly the field departments have been proactive in planning to reduce potential damage and losses from disasters.  The Burbank City Council has supported many major mitigation programs such as: the City�s Emergency Operations Center renovation which was completed in 2003; the Burbank Community Disaster Volunteer program (an innovative and effective program which utilizes community volunteers to augment City resources); and the recently enhanced brush clearance requirements.

The City of Burbank is subject to a wide range of destructive disasters, from earthquakes, floods, and wildfires, and human-caused disasters, such as terrorist acts and civil disturbances.  In the disaster-rich decade of the 1990s, the City was named in numerous federal disaster declarations, including the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, which caused millions of dollars in damage in Burbank.  With a large urban population and vulnerability to a wide range of disasters, the City�s long-standing commitment to all-hazard mitigation programs plays a significant role in loss reduction and public safety.

This plan is the first compilation of future mitigation strategies and programs for the entire City.  Information contained in the plan will provide a framework and a rich repository of resource information to support future mitigation grant applications from any City department.  The plan can be shared in electronic format with all other local government agencies such as the Burbank Unified School District and the Bob Hope Airport to encourage and assist them in their mitigation planning activities.

FEMA implemented the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and published their requirements for all future hazard mitigation planning in February 2002.   The State of California implemented the program in California in the summer and fall of 2003 with guidelines and training sessions.  The law requires extensive documentation of the community, the region, its hazards, history and future plans. Some examples include:

• Formation of a City of Burbank Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee with by-laws, regular meetings, records of the agendas and minutes, subcommittees, and action plans.  This group was tasked with prioritizing the hazards, collecting the history and documentation, and formulating future mitigation strategies.  The planning committee was headed by the City Manager�s office with support from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and included various City departments.

• A complete disaster risk analysis with historic reviews of disasters in the City and an analysis of damage projections for future disasters.  This risk analysis also prioritized risks that are in high, moderate and low risk categories.   The mitigation strategies are primarily for high-risk disasters.

• The law included specific requirements for:

• documentation of the process the City has implemented to prioritize and study the hazards and to prepare the plan and conduct the analysis required;

• extensive outreach to the public and to other political jurisdictions in the City, inviting comment and input into the plan on both the risk prioritization and hazard mitigation strategies;

• setting future goals and tasks to carry out the overall mitigation plan;

• review and incorporation of existing plans, studies, reports and technical information;

• a listing of local ordinances which affect or promote disaster mitigation;

• details of ongoing mitigation projects.

The plan has been formulated to meet the Federal Law requirements and to serve as a reference document and basis for hazard mitigation projects and grant applications for citywide hazard mitigation programs.  This document will assist all departments in the City in providing the base information and hazard and geographic descriptions required in reference to all related disaster grant and planning programs.

The disasters of the 1990s created eligibility for $600 million in post-disaster hazard mitigation grants for communities within the Los Angeles County Operational Area.  The City also could lose eligibility for Federal pre-disaster mitigation grants if a plan is not completed.  As one example of mitigation grant funding, Public Works is currently seeking mitigation funding to seismically upgrade numerous City facilities.

The plan is divided into seven sections:

Section 1 � Introduction

This section contains the formal language outlining the purpose, mission statement, legal authorities and constraints to strategy implementation.  The constraints are those circumstances that the City has no control over that would keep the City from implementing mitigation measures for a disaster risk.  The constraints most often cited are economic constraints, manpower constraints and lack of legal authority to respond to a risk with mitigation measures.

Section 2 � Hazard Mitigation Planning Process

This section explains the process the City Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee used in sharing data, developing strategies, and devising implementation programs. It details the processes used to inform citizens, businesses, and adjacent jurisdictions of the planning project and the methods used to solicit public input.  This section lists the Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee by-laws, goals, objectives and tasks.  It also contains copies of the minutes of meetings of the Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee and other Sub-committees.

Section 3 � Demographics and Statistics

This section is an in-depth �encyclopedia� of the City of Burbank which will be used in grant application preparation.  It contains detailed lists of assets owned by the City as well as those assets determined to be critical to fulfilling the requirements of the City�s mission in times of emergency or disaster.  The planning process requires a description with replacement costs for critical City assets.  This information helps in the development of the Hazard Vulnerability Analysis.  The Community Development Department and Risk Management Division contributed extensively to this section to assure the data included was complete, current, and reliable.

Section 4 � Hazard Vulnerability Analysis

This section is divided into Natural and Technological/Human-caused Hazards and gives a detailed analysis of each of the risks cited by the Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee in preparation of the plan.  Past hazard-specific mitigation projects are discussed as well as specific vulnerabilities and impacts.  Projections of damage (dollars, facilities and people) are listed for the high risk priority hazards.  FEMA requires that the City demonstrate an in-depth analysis of vulnerability in relationship to population, geographic area, jurisdictional relationships, resources, and disaster mitigation options for future actions.

Section 4: Natural, Technological, and Human-caused Hazards

The City of Burbank is at risk for a variety of natural and human-caused disasters, and the Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee established priorities for these risks, taking into account the concerns of the public as expressed in the public input process.  The priorities were determined based on the probable effects of each disaster risk, including potential magnitude (including economic impact), frequency, and distribution of damage, demographics of areas potentially affected, and the degree of vulnerability.  Priorities established for each hazard will guide mitigation planning, with the highest risk hazards receiving the highest level of attention.

The natural hazards and their relative priority are summarized in the chart below:

This report also includes a history of disasters in Burbank since the 1920�s, including the costs and number of deaths and injuries caused by each disaster.  This information validated the priority ranking of disasters.

In recent years, particularly since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, American society has become much more concerned about human-caused disasters.  In recent history, Burbank was affected by the civil disturbances of 1992. Certain Burbank locations are also included on limited distribution lists as possible terrorist targets.

Section 4B of the plan includes a comprehensive history and discussion of these types of human-caused disasters.  The section also includes discussions of other hazards associated with human progress and urban development, such as economic disruption, water and power emergencies, and data/telecommunications disruptions.

This information will be invaluable in assisting in the preparation of future hazard mitigation projects and in the development of City emergency management plans.  The information will also assist in public education campaigns and other public information outreach.

Section 5 � Strategies

This section is a catalog of strategies for mitigation of each of the High Risk and Moderate Risk Priority Hazards detailed in Section 4.

The strategies listed include the general description of the strategy, the organization/department responsible for the strategy, implementation time line, the cost, and the goal and hazard addressed.  All of the strategies listed for High Risk Priority Hazards are considered Priority One hazard mitigation strategies; those strategies listed for Moderate Risk Priority Hazards are considered Priority Two hazard mitigation strategies.  Typical strategies include:  seismic protection projects, flood hazard reduction projects, security projects, technological protection, economic loss protection projects, public information projects, medical and biological preparedness and identification through feasibility studies for other potential projects.

Section 6 � Goals

This section lists Primary Specific Goals and Actions and Long-term Goals, Objectives and Actions regarding this new Hazard Mitigation Planning program.  The implementation of these goals and objectives will be based on the City�s fiscal and operational capabilities; this part of the plan is a roadmap for the City of Burbank to follow where feasible, not a commitment to take specific actions.

Section 7 � Plan Maintenance

This section is the detailed guidelines to be employed to keep the plan current, circulated, and to maintain continuity in the public input process.  It also lists what needs to be done to prepare the plan for its five-year approval submission to FEMA.

Any disaster plan must be periodically reviewed and kept up-to-date.  The Burbank Fire Department - Office of Emergency Management will maintain the plan through annual updates, completed in collaboration with key City departments, cooperating agencies and community stakeholders.  FEMA requires the plan to be submitted every five years for re-approval, which must include a progress report on the implementation of the disaster strategies.  This maintenance process will ensure that the plan, when re-submitted every five years, reflects the status of the up-to-the-minute hazard mitigation program for the City of Burbank.  The plan will need to be updated following a major disaster in the City in order to include any new mitigation strategies the City may consider implementing with post-disaster grants.

FISCAL IMPACT

There are many recommended mitigation strategies in the plan. There are varying costs associated with each mitigation strategy. Rough estimates for each strategy have been provided within the plan. Any eventual implementation of these strategies would still be on a funds available basis.  If available funding does not permit their accomplishment, there is no obligation created. However, if future federal mitigation grants are obtained, the DMA 2000 plan will be used as tool in prioritizing which strategies are pursued.  There is an indirect staff cost associated with the maintenance of this plan estimated at 50 hours annually.  

RECOMMENDATION

The DMA 2000 Steering Committee recommends that the City Council adopt version 1 of the Disaster Mitigation Plan and direct staff to forward the approved plan to the State of California for review.

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