Glendale (PDF) - Hazard Mitigation Web Portal - State of California

Natural Hazards Mitigation PlanCity of Glendale, CaliforniaSection 3 – Risk AssessmentFederal Requirements for Risk AssessmentRecent federal regulations for hazard mitigation plans outlined in 44 CFR Part 201 include arequirement for risk assessment. This requirement is intended to provide information that willhelp communities identify and prioritize mitigation activities that will reduce losses from theidentified hazards. There are four natural hazards profiled in this Mitigation Plan, includingearthquakes, wildfires, floods, and landslides. The Federal criteria for risk assessment andinformation on how the Glendale’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan meets those criteria isoutlined in the table below:Table 3.2 - Federal Criteria for Risk AssessmentSection 322 PlanRequirementIdentifying HazardsProfiling Hazard EventsAssessing Vulnerability:Identifying AssetsAssessing Vulnerability:Estimating Potential Losses:Assessing Vulnerability:Analyzing DevelopmentTrendsHow is this addressed?Each hazard section (Sections 6 through 9) includes aninventory of the best available data sources that identify hazardareas. To the extent GIS data are available, the City hasdeveloped maps that identifying the areas most likely to beimpacted by each hazard. These Hazard Maps are listed inTable 3.1 and are included in Appendix H.Each hazard section includes documentation on the history ofpast hazard events, and the causes and characteristics of thehazard in the city.Where data are available, the vulnerability assessment for eachhazard addressed in the mitigation plan includes an inventoryof critical facilities within hazardous areas. Each hazardsection provides information on vulnerable areas in the city inthe Community Issues section. Each hazard section alsoidentifies potential mitigation strategies.The Risk Assessment Section of this Plan identifies key criticalfacilities and lifelines in the city and includes a map of thesefacilities. Vulnerability assessments have been completed forthe hazards addressed in the plan, and quantitative estimateswere made for each hazard where data were available.The Profile Section of this Plan provides a description ofdevelopment trends in the city, including its geography andenvironment, population and demographics, land use anddevelopment, housing and community development,employment and industry, and transportation and commutingpatterns (Section 2).Critical Facilities and InfrastructureCritical facilities are those parts of a community's infrastructure that must remain operationalafter a disaster. Critical facilities include schools, hospitals, fire and police stations, emergencyoperation centers, and communication centers. A vulnerability assessment for these facilitiesinvolves comparing the locations of these facilities to the hazardous areas identified in the city.Other important facilities often considered in risk assessments include:♦High-risk facilities, if severely damaged, may result in a disaster far beyond thefacilities themselves. Examples include power plants, dams and flood control structures,freeway interchanges, bridges, and industrial plants that use or store explosives, toxic2006 PAGE 3 - 6