13 - RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE 2017 LAMAR COUNTY MITIGATION PLAN

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Lamar County Multi - Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Chapter Three Structures within the direct path of a tornado vortex are often reduced to rubble. However structures near the tornado's path are often severely damaged by high winds flowing into thie tornado vortex, known as inflow winds. It is here, adjacent to the tornado's path where the building type and construction techniques are critical to the structure's survival. Advances in Meteorology and the use of Doppler Radar allow efficient prediction of tornado formation before they occur in most cases. Lamar County has a special situation here that the edge of the view falls in Lamar County causing increased difficulty from two Doppler sights to more accurately provide complete information. A network of storm watchers attempt to identify funnel clouds and report to various networks to alert the population. Even though these advances have significantly improved the available response time, tornadoes can still occur unexpectedly and without warning. The use of better building techniques and the availability of affordable home storm shelters have helped to mitigate losses in Lamar County. The growing popularity of mobile /manufactured homes and structures without basements contraindicate any advances. The rapid urbanization of rural areas also intensifies the probability of being affected by a tornado. 7. Secondary Hazards Secondary hazards can include fire, power outages, communications disruptions, and failure of municipal services. Peripheral damages can occur caused by the accompanying thunder /rain storm activity. Lighting can cause fire. Rain can cause flooding. Tornadoes often affect areas not directly struck by the tornado event. Loss of power and telephone service due to downed lines within the system can lead to a wide range of problems. Debris can cause damage ranging from minor inconvience to major transportation problems. The resulting "building rush" following a mjor event can lead to material shortages and price increases. 8. Overall Summary of Vulnerability and Impacts Located in "Tornado Alley ", Texas is hit by more tornadoes each year, on average, than any other state. Texas, experiences an average of 139 tornadoes per year. They are most likely to occur between March and June within the afternoon hours of 3:00 to 6:OOpm. A tornado can generate winds exceeding 300 mph. The path width of a tornado is generally less than a one half -mile, but path length can vary from a few hundred yards to dozens of miles. Therefore the impact of human life and property can be substantial. In the last 100 years Lamar County has experienced tornadoes of various intensities, with 10 tornadoes F2 or higher. Statewide between 1950 and 1955 nearly $2 billion dollars in tornado damages, over 7,500 injuries, and 478 deaths were caused by tornados. This calculates out to about $4 per person per year in tornado damages, a risk of one in 66,712 of an injury, and one in 1,054,267 of sustaining a fatal injury from a tornado in any given year. 61