THROUG~-LlN"DA:i?"o-liRis,'t:'rffM~AGER

Transcription

1 FOR COUNCIL MEETING OF: AGENDA ITEM NO.: PUBLIC WORKS FILE NO.: March 12, (c) TO: ~~iy"o't\and C}T, COUI\ICIL THROUG~-LlN"DA:i?"o-liRis,'t:'rffM~AGER FROM: ROBERT D. CHANDLER, PH.D., P.E. ///~0 0~ 0 ~ 0 INTERIM PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR="'~ SUBJECT: SUMMARY OF DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RECOVERY EFFORTS RESULTING FROM THE JANUARY 2012 FLOOD EVENT ISSUE: Provide a summary of the damage assessment and recovery efforts resulting from the January 2012 flood event RECOMMENDATION: Information only. BACKGROUND: Beginning January 16, 2012, through January 20, 2012, the City of Salem experienced a major flood event During the five-day period, the hills in south Salem received as much as 9.01 inches of rain, with one 24-hour period experiencing as much as 4.77 inches of rain. The two days of heaviest precipitation in Salem occurred on January 18 and 19, The amount of runoff from the heavy rainfall was exacerbated by the melting of three to six inches of snow on the ground in the south Salem hills that had accumulated during the week previous to January 18, The stormwater runoff from the heavy rainfall and snow melt significantly impacted four drainage basins in south Salem: Battle Creek, Mill Creek, Pringle Creek, and Croisan Creek. These creeks and their tributaries all experienced rapid rises in water levels resulting in significant flooding. In turn, the high volumes of water surging through Mill Creek caused flooding along Shelton Ditch and the Mill Race, both which connect Mill Creek to Pringle Creek. Glen Creek in west Salem experienced high flows and some flooding in Orchard Heights Park, but not to the extent experienced in south Salem. The Willamette River rose quickly during the storm event, reaching just less than 30 feet at the Salem gauge, almost two feet above flood stage. This resulted in significant flooding of Minto Brown-Island Park and Wallace Marine Park. While local creek levels dropped quickly on January 20 and 21, 2012, Willamette River levels dropped gradually over several days due to the need for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release water from its thirteen dams in the Willamette River basin.

2 Page 2 In the days leading up to the flood, Public Works crews performed snow and ice response, as well as worked to clear catch basins, ditches, and culverts as the rains intensified. The City began stocking eight pre-arranged sandbag locations on January 18, Public Works opened its Department Operating Center (DOC) at 6:00a.m. on January 19, 2012, at the City Shops complex in order to coordinate its emergency response efforts. The Citywide Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated later that morning at 9:00a.m. The City Manager declared a State of Emergency at approximately 1:25 p.m. that same day. Emergency declarations followed at the county and state level as the day progressed. During the flood event, approximately 300 people were evacuated from their homes. According to the Red Cross, a total of 207 homes were impacted by flood water. By the end of the storm event, Salem Public Works had distributed 220,000 sandbags and stocked 12 sandbagging locations throughout impacted areas of the City. At the height of the flooding, 64 City streets were either closed or partially closed due to high water. In addition to assisting Salem residents, the Salem Fire Department assisted the City of Turner with water rescues and evacuations. Additional water rescues had to be performed in Wallace Marine Park on January 20, Throughout the event, the residents, businesses, churches, and service organizations of Salem responded with a tremendous volunteer effort. It is estimated that more than 1,600 volunteers assisted during the flood event. Their efforts included filling, delivering, and placing sandbags; staffing the City's emergency information phone bank; conducting clean-up efforts immediately after flood-waters receded, and more. The City's EOC was deactivated at 12:00 p.m. on January 20, The Public Works DOC remained open until 2:30a.m., January 21, The City expended approximately $275,000 in additional costs during the initial response to the event. FACTS AND FINDINGS: Damage Assessment Immediately after the flood waters subsided, Public Works staff began documenting the damages to public infrastructure. Damage assessment teams took pictures and began evaluating damage to the city's streets, bridges, parks, buildings, water, wastewater collection, and stormwater facilities. The initial damage estimate provided to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance Team on February 6, 2012, was $10.3 million. Working with FEMA staff, that amount was later refined and then combined with damage assessments within Marion and Polk Counties and ten other counties in Oregon to go into Governor Kitzhaber's request for federal disaster assistance. On March 2, 2012, President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the twelve counties impacted by the January 17-21, 2012, flood event (see Attachment). This disaster declaration only applies to public assistance, which is for the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged public facilities, and does not yet include assistance to private property owners and businesses. JPffLC:G:\GROUP\DIRECfOR\JUDY\COUNCIL 2012\MARCH 12\CITY COUNCIL DA AND RECOVERY-SR_RDC.DOCX

3 Page 3 The preliminary damage assessment amount of $10.3 million did not include damages to private property. A joint FEMA/Small Business Administration (SBA) Individual Assessment Team toured and interviewed private property owners in Salem during the week of February 6, That team was sent to determine if federal assistance would be warranted for private property owners and businesses. Staff is waiting to see if a further disaster declaration is made covering individual assistance. Refined Total Damage Estimates Public Works staff has worked jointly with representatives from FEMA, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), to refine the preliminary estimates of damage to the City's public infrastructure. Table 1 shows the total damage estimates as of March 1, T a bl e 1 E s f uma t e d C OS t t 0 R "D u IC n ras rue ure Category Amount City Parks and Buildings $895,000 Streets, Water, Wastewater Collections, and Stormwater Facilities $832,000 Bridges (Vehicular) $7,434,000 Future MitiQation Projects: Willamette River bank stabilization at Wallace Marine Park $515,000 Total Estimate for Public Infrastructure $9,676,000 epa or amages to P bl" I f t t The estimates in Table 1 will continue to be refined as clean-up and repairs are made. It will likely be two to three years before all the final costs of the flood are known. Damage to City Parks and Buildings A total of nine City parks were impacted by the flood event, seven as a result of flooding from creeks and two from the rise in the Willamette River. Revised estimates put total damages to parks at approximately $895,000. Table 2 shows estimated damages at each park. Table 2: T ota IP ar ks system D amages Park or Facility Work required to Repair Damages Total Estimated Cost to Repair Brush ColleQe Park Repair of soft trails $2,470 Bush's Pasture Park Repair of soft trails $8,000 Cascades Gateway Park Debris removal, repair washouts, replace barrier $6,520 Clark Creek Park Repair undermined sidewalk and footbridqes $172,750 Minto-Brown Island Park Debris removal, repair playground, repair trails $67,640 Orchard Heights Park Repair playground, landscape beds and footbridge $107,040 PrinQie Park Repair footbridqe, debris removal, turf repairs $29,910 Pringle Community Hall Clean, replace floor vents, repair restrooms and closet $13,630 Wallace Marine Park Debris removal, repair trails, sidewalk, restrooms, $60,460 gravel parking lots, boat docks, and soccer field turf Wallace Marine Softball Debris removal, replace outfield fences, replace infield $200,910 Complex and warninq track material, turf repairs Woodmansee Park Tree removal, repair trails, footbridges, and erosion $225,420 Total Estimated Repair Costs $894,750 JP/TLC:G:\GROUP\DIRECTOR\JUDY\COUNCIL 2012\MARCH 12\CITY COUNCIL DA AND RECOVERY-SR_RDC.DOCX

4 Page4 On February 27, 2012, City Council adopted Resolution No , authorizing the transfer of $363,000 from General Fund contingencies to the Parks and Transportation Services Division budget to fund repairs needed in the parks system during the current fiscal year. This was in addition to the $31,750 already spent for clean-up of the parks. Up to $500,000 in additional repairs will be requested through the budget process in future fiscal years FY and FY , to perform repairs to five pedestrian footbridges and a damaged creek bank wall in Pringle Park. The only City building significantly impacted by the flood was Pringle Community Hall, located in Pringle Park, which had as much as 29 inches of flood water flowing through it. The building's contents were successfully removed or stored in the upper loft as waters rose into the building. This building had been rebuilt after the 1996 flood and is designed to withstand flooding. Its design proved largely successful and the building was cleaned and placed back into service in time for a wedding event on February 10, Damage to Streets, Water, Wastewater Collections, and Stormwater Facilities Flood waters damaged a variety of public infrastructure facilities. Street Maintenance crews repaired washed-out roadside gravel shoulders and undermined sidewalks at 13 locations. Operations Division crews repaired an exposed water main and a number of damaged roadside ditches, cleaned up after several sanitary sewer overflows, and replaced 35 damaged sanitary sewer flow monitor gauges. Major stormwater repair projects include rebuilding the stormwater detention basin at the intersection of Mildred Lane SE and Trilogy Street SE, and repairing the Weir Dam structure where Mill Creek and Shelton Ditch diverge. That structure suffered significant scour damage and potential undermining to the diversion structure. A preliminary estimate to repair the structure is $500,000, but this amount could change upon additional engineering analysis. T a bl e 3 D amage t o St ree t s, W ater, w astewater, an ds tormwater F aciitles T" Repair Total Estimated Category Cost to Repair Street Pavements and Gravel Shoulders 91,000 Wastewater Collection (Sanitary Sewer) Facilities $78,000 Water Distribution and Storage Facilities $18,000 Stormwater and Drainage Facilities $645,000 Total Estimated Repair Costs $832,000 Heavy rains coupled with vehicular traffic will, over time, increase the number of potholes and sinkholes in street pavements. However, the cost of repairing potholes and sinkholes is not included in the damage estimate amount, as FEMA does not consider those costs to be eligible for reimbursement. Nevertheless, Streets Maintenance crews have been busy repairing potholes throughout Salem. Watercaused pavement delamination became so severe on Hawthorne Avenue NE, between Sunnyview Road NE and Silverton Road NE, that it had to be closed for an entire day for crews to grind and re-pave sections of the street pavement. The cost of this work is being covered through the regular street maintenance operating budget. JPffLC:G:\GROUP\DIRECTOR\JUDY\COUNCIL 2012\MARCH 12\~ITY COUNCIL DA AND RECOVERY-SR_RDC.DOCX

5 Council Meeting of March 12,2012 Page 5 Damage to Bridges Once high waters receded, ODOT bridge inspection teams were able to determine that six bridges and one large box culvert were significantly damaged by the flood event. The eligibility for federal assistance for the repair or replacement of the damaged bridges depends upon their classification in the federal-aid system. Bridges on major collectors or above are eligible for FHWA Emergency Response Program funding. Local street bridges are eligible for funding assistance under FEMA. Table 4 lists the seven bridge structures requiring repairs from the flood. T a bl e 4 V e h. ICU ar r11ges D a mage d an def s 1ma tdr e epa1r. /R ep1acemen t c t OS S Bridge location Federal Estimated and Damage Program Costs Winter Street Bridge SE over Shelton Ditch- Closed to Traffic FHWA $4,400,000 Pier Footings exposed and undermined, south wall undermined 14'" Street SE Bridge over Shelton Ditch FHWA $850,000 Scouring and undermining of street approach walls under bridge Summer Street Bridge NE over Mill Creek FHWA $630,000 Scour damage to underwater bent and associated stream bed High Street NE Bridge over Mill Creek FHWA $250,000 North abutment wall footings exposed and undermined Ford Street SE Bridge over Shelton Ditch FEMA $595,000 Scouring and undermining of street approach walls under bridge Lee Street SE Bridge over Shelton Ditch FEMA $505,000 Scouring and undermining of street approach walls under bridge Lone Oak Road SE Box Culvert over Battle Creek FEMA $200,000 Scour damage to stream bank and culvert approach Minor Repairs to Three Other Bridges FEMA $4,000 Stream bank erosion mitigation at bridge abutments Total Estimated Bridge Repair Costs $7,434,000 An engineering analysis will be required for each bridge in order to determine the best method of repair or replacement. In addition, it is anticipated that environmental permitting will be required for each bridge repair project. Repairs on these bridges will begin the summer of 2012 and will likely continue through the summer of Of the seven bridge structures significantly damaged, only the Winter Street SE Bridge over Shelton Ditch is currently closed to traffic. Given its critical location providing access to Salem Hospital, Public Works staff is working to expedite the process to evaluate options for either repairing or replacing the 84-year old bridge. The cost estimate contained in Table 4 is based on complete replacement. Future Mitigation Project: Willamette River Bank Stabilization The Willamette River bank just south of the boat launch ramp at Wallace Marine Park has slowly been eroding for a number of years. It is the only portion of river bank along that stretch of the river not armored against erosion. Previous to the January 2012 flood event, the City secured a permit to undertake a bank stabilization project. Unfortunately, the City was unable to secure grant funds to defray the estimated $400,000 cost. The January flood further impacted the bank's stability and the boat launch ramp and associated parking lot may be further damaged if mitigation measures are not undertaken within the next two years. The FEMA Public Assistance Team JPffLC:G:\GROUP\DIRECfOR\]UDY\COUNCIL 2012\MARCH 12\CfTY COUNCIL DA AND RECOVERY-SR_RDC.DOCX

6 Page6 indicated that this issue could be addressed as a future mitigation project using federal funding. With FEMA's assistance, the preliminary estimate for this project is estimated at $515,000. Recovery Efforts Clean-up and repair efforts began immediately after the damage assessment teams completed documenting the flood damage. The City Manager directed staff to prioritize repairs in order of four categories: 1. Restoring critical infrastructure and services 2. Maintaining public safety 3. Returning revenue-generating facilities back into operation 4. General clean-up and repair With the exception of the Winter Street SE Bridge over Shelton Ditch and repairs to Weir Dam, most of the repairs relating to the first two priorities have been completed. Pringle Community Hall was cleaned, repaired, and brought back into service in time for a February 10, 2012, event. The next revenue-generating project is at Wallace Marine Softball Complex, which needs to be repaired in time for spring league and tournament play. The efforts to recover our public infrastructure from the January 2012 flood event will require a partnership involving City staff, consultants, contractors, inmate labor crews, and community volunteers. Preparing for the Next Flood While statistically Salem should not experience another major flooding for a number of years, this may not be the case. Staff is pursuing a number of initiatives to improve how it responds to future flood events. These initiatives include: Enhancing our early-warning system for creek flooding Identifying additional pre-arranged sandbag locations Improving public notification and access to emergency information Identifying future flood mitigation measures and projects As a part of this effort, City staff will hold three public open houses in March 2012 to gather information from residents and business owners regarding the January flood. This will also be an opportunity to provide the public with information on how the City monitors the community's waterways that flow through town and how individuals can become involved in organizations such as the American Red Cross, and the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT). The open houses are scheduled as follows: " Tuesday, March 20, Pringle and Clark Creek Basins 5:00-7:00 p.m. at South Salem High School Includes areas within the SCAN, Morningside, and Faye-Wright Neighborhood Associations JP!TLC:G:\GROUP\DIRECTOR\.]UDY\COUNCIL 2012\MARCH 12\CITY COUNCIL DA AND RECOVERY~SR_RDC.DOCX

7 Page 7 Wednesday, March 21, Mill Creek Basin, Shelton Ditch and Mill Race 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Pringle Community Hall Includes areas within the SEMCA, SESNA, NEN, and CAN-DO Neighborhood Associations Thursday, March 22, Battle Creek and Croisan Creek Basins 5:00-7:00 p.m. at South Salem Senior Center Includes areas within the South Gateway, Sunnyslope, and Croisan-11/ahee Neighborhood Associations City staff will provide periodic updates to City Council on flood recovery efforts and initiatives to prepare for the next flood. Attachment: Federal Disaster Declaration Fact Sheet, March 2, 2012 Wards: All March 7, 2012 Mark Becktel, AICP "'S Parks and Transportation Services Manager JP/TLCG:\GROUP\DIRECTOR\JUDY\COUNCIL 2012\MARCH 12\CITY COUNCIL DA AND RECOVERY SR_RDC.DOCX

8 LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS DIVISION STATE OF OREGON FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION FACT SHEET MARCH 2, 2012 On March 2, 2012, President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the State of Oregon triggering the release of Federal funds to help communities recover from the Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides that occurred January 17-21, Details of the disaster declaration and assistance programs are as follows: Declaration Number: Incident: Incident Period: Federal Coordinating Officer: Public Assistance (P A): Designated Counties: Hazard Mitigation (HM): Designated Counties: OTHER: FEMA-4055-DR Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides January 17-21,2012 Dolph A. Diemont National FCO Program (Assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities): Benton, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Tillamook Counties. (Assistance for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards): All counties in the State of Oregon are eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments. If you have any questions or need additional information on this Federal disaster declaration, please contact FEMA's Legislative Affairs Division at (202) , FAX number (202)