BOC approves disaster mitigation plan

The official state flag, which will be displayed on board the USS Georgia, visited Lincoln County on Wednesday, February 13. "Return to Service" festivities will be held March 28 at the King's Bay Naval Submarine Base in Camden County, where the USS Georgia will become the only active duty Navy ship that is home-ported in its namesake state. Pictured with the flag are: (first row, l-r) Ernie Doss; Roby Seymour; (second row) Charlie Mae Glaze; Kathie Davis; Sgt. Major Jim Hussey, representing Sen. Saxby Chambliss; Andy Cross, executive director of the CSRA Regional Development Center; Ben Hastings, representing the Navy League; Traci Bussey; (third row) Crawford Asbell; Dwaine Biggerstaff, mayor of the City of Lincolnton; County Commissioner Allen Walker; Nancy Bobbitt, representing Sen. Johnny Isakson; Kenny Adair; Walker Norman, chairman of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners; and Meg Burg.

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Plan at its regular meeting held Thursday, February 14, at the courthouse.

Using a grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), the plan was developed to assist the county by reducing the risks associated with potential hazards and helping decision makers commit resources for curtailing the effects of natural hazards.

The hazard mitigation plan is required by the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Failure to adopt the plan would have prevented the county from being eligible for Federal Disaster Mitigation funds as they become available.

The plan was developed over the course of the past year by a committee comprised of representatives of various agencies in the county, with input from GEMA, the CSRA Regional Development Center (RDC), and members of the community at large.

After reviewing historical data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), newspapers, and interviews with community residents, the Pre- Disaster Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee identified four types of severe weather prevalent in the county. They are:

(1) Thunderstorms. (2) Hail. (3) Tornadoes.

(4) Winter storms.

"Based on historic records and data collected by the NCDC, there have been 38 recorded severe weather events involving thunderstorm winds and high winds in the past 40 years," said Ernie Doss, director of the Lincoln County Department of Public Safety. "This is the most frequently occurring natural hazard in Lincoln County. In the spring and summer, the county experiences numerous storms that often carry strong winds with them. During the total 40-year period, more than $245,000 in property damage was reported due to thunderstorm winds."

As for hail, Doss said there have been 18 recorded hail events over the last 40 years. The record was set on April 24, 1967, when hail up to two inches in diameter fell on the county.

In other items of information, the director reported that there have been eight recorded tornadoes in the last 25 years, causing a total of $1 million in damages. All of the tornadic activity occurred in the southern portion of the unincorporated part of the county.

Commenting on winter storms, Doss said the county has experienced four winter storms over the past 25 years. The most severe ice storm, which took place on January 26, 2004, resulted in one fatality and four injuries, all related to automobile crashes. In addition, over 100,000 homes in a four-county area were affected.

"Based on available data, there is a 32-percent chance of an annual tornado, a 95-percent chance of an annual thunderstorm event, a 45-percent chance of an annual hail event, and an 80-percent chance of a winter storm event for the entire county," said Director Doss. "Overall, severe weather in the form of thunderstorm winds poses one of the greatest threats to the county in terms of property damage, injuries, and loss of life."

The hazard mitigation plan also addresses:

(1) Earthquakes - There have been seven earthquakes recorded over the past 33 years, generally resulting in minor damage to personal effects. The most severe earthquake took place August 2, 1974.

Based on available data, there is a 21.2-percent chance of an earthquake occurring annually in the county.

(2) Drought - "Based on data from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, there have been nine reported drought events in the last 47 years," said Director Doss. "The primary losses were agricultural in nature."

Currently, there are 1,212 agricultural properties in the county, valued at slightly less than $211.3 million.

(3) Wildfire - The public safety director indicated that a significant wildfire event has never been reported in the county.

In addition to the different hazards, the plan also outlines mitigation goals and objectives as well as courses of action that will protect the people and property affected by natural hazards occurring in the county.

"One of our goals is to seek state and federal funding for reverse 911 dialing," said Director Doss. "Reverse 911 has the capability of sending a recorded message to every known phone in the county, thereby alerting residents of impending danger.

"Likewise, we, along with the code enforcement office and the planning and zoning department, are looking at the setback requirements in areas that are prone to flooding as well as the regulations governing new construction," the director continued. "We need to make sure buildings are constructed to withstand high wind speeds."

Now that the hazard mitigation plan has been adopted by the commission, it must be submitted to GEMA for approval.

The Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee will provide the commission with progress reports concerning the measures taken to implement the plan.

In other business, the commissioners approved a resolution designating Friday, March 28, as USS Geor- gia (SSGN 729) Day in Lincoln County.

Launched in 1982, the USS Georgia, an Ohio-class, nuclear-powered, fleet ballistic missile submarine, served the United States Navy faithfully until 2000, when the Nuclear Posture Review Committee determined that the Navy had too many nuclear submarines and slated the vessel for salvage. But re-engineering proved that the ship could be retro-fitted to accommodate Tomahawk missiles, even allowing enough room for a Special Operations Forces support platform.

The conversion took place over the last two years, while the ship was in Norfolk, Virginia.

On March 28, "Return to Service" festivities will be held at the King's Bay Naval Submarine Base in Camden County, where the USS Georgia will become the only active duty Navy ship that is home-ported in its namesake state.

Just recently, the official state flag, which will be displayed on board the ship, traveled to all 159 Georgia counties to give Georgians the opportunity to participate in welcoming the submarine home. The flag was on display in Lincoln County on Wednesday, February 13, at the courthouse.

The resolution approved by the county commission states, "Lincoln County has an exceptional, supportive relationship with all the military services based in and around our community, and we are proud of our United States Naval Submarine Force."

The USS Georgia is 560 feet in length, displaces over 18,000 tons of water submerged, and can carry a crew of 15 officers, 139 enlisted crew members, and up to 66 Special Operations Forces for a sustained, long-endurance deployment.

In further business, the commission:

..Voted to approve matching funds in the event the county receives a 2008 GEFA (Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority) Recycling and Waste Reduction (RWR) Grant. The maximum grant amount is $50,000, which would result in a $5,000 cash match from the county.

The purpose of the grant program is to assist local governments in planning and implementing new recycling and waste reduction programs or expanding and improving existing programs.

According to Meg Burg, director of the Planning and Zoning Department, "The grant funds will be used to enlarge the scrap metal collection area at the convenience center to accommodate more metal. We also want to purchase a mini-excavator to compact garbage and sort through metal, which will cut down on the cost to the county of disposing of the waste."

Lastly, the grant funds will help purchase educational materials for students at LCES and LCMS outlining the benefits of recycling to the county and the environment.

The GEFA grants will be awarded the first week in March.

Heard the Department of Public Safety Report given by Director Doss, who indicated that the ambulance and fire/rescue services responded to 109 calls for emergency assistance during the month of January. Call volume was down five calls when compared to January of 2007.

Concerning the E-911 center, operators handled 897 emergency calls last month, monitored 6,949 radio transmissions, and dispatched a total of 562 public safety, law enforcement, and fire calls.

In other items of information, Doss said the E-911 center should be Phase II compliant by April or May of this year. This means dispatchers will have the ability to pinpoint the exact location of all wireless 911 callers.

The director went on to note that the EMS plans to take delivery of a new ambulance in mid-March.

.. Voted to approve a mutual aid agreement with Elbert County EMS. Each county will be responsible for its own liability and expenses.

.. Heard the Public Works Department Report given by Director Roby Seymour, who said his office billed 1,743 water customers and 417 "availability" customers for a total of $47,119.85 last month.

Concerning roads, the director reported that his staff has been busy working on signs, patching pot holes, hauling crush-and-run and soil, scraping roads, trimming trees on dirt roads, and preparing Double Branches Road for paving.

County workers have also finished grading at the site of the new gymnasium at the Curry Colvin Recreation Complex. Slab work should being shortly, with the building reaching completion within the next six or seven months.

.. Heard the Recreation Department Report given by Director Kathie Davis, who said Bruce Rowland is in the process of making repairs to the existing fences on the baseball fields and the multi-purpose field.

In a related item of business, the commission voted to convert the picnic shelter closest to Burke Field into new restroom facilities and storage space. The renovations will cost $13,838.88, with $9,938.88 coming out of the Recreation Light Fund and $3,900 from the interest that has accrued in the Serenity Pointe Cash Escrow Account.

In other information items, Director Davis noted that the recreation department will not be sponsoring a basketball league this year because only 14 children signed up for the program. "Next year, we plan to change the timing, so we can hopefully get the program started up again," she said.

.. Voted to approve the county's annual agreement with the Little League Association. The only change is the association will be responsible for paying someone to line the fields before games.

.. Heard the Finance Department Report given by Director Traci Bussey.

.. Heard the Planning and Zoning Report given by Director Burg, who said her office issued 58 business licenses during the month of January for a total of $3,300.

Regarding code enforcement, 41 building permits were issued last month for a total of $2,372, and 111 building inspections were conducted.

.. Voted to approve a cash escrow reduction in the amount of $420,435 for the Serenity Pointe subdivision, which would leave $2,187,293 in the account.

The next regular meeting of the commissioners will be held Thursday, March 13, at 6 p.m. in the courtroom, located on the second floor of the courthouse.