AG 2002 08 19 (Regular) - Laserfiche WebLink

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(b) Cabarrus County has included several additional goals for hazard mitigation: - Reduce hazard risks to citizens' lives and property. - Restore and protect the natural capacity of the local environment to prevent future disasters, improve public health, restore degraded ecosystems, and make communities more livable. (c) Mitigation goals can only be accomplished within the planning context of providing a sustainable environment that meets the needs of the current population of the county ,while protecting the needs of furore generations. Sustainable development and smart growth principles of land stewardship, protection of the natural environment, and preservation of natural resources have all been considered during the development of mitigation activities. The real challenge, however, has not and will not be the development of mitigation activities, but will come in the months and years ahead as the people and leaders of Cabarrus County convert the Hazard Mitigation Plan into action. (d) Current county ordinances do not hinder hazard mitigation efforts. Cabarrus County Government has been active in floodplain management within the county. The county has developed a greenway program to encourage recreational development in possible flood hazard areas in place of residential or commercial use of those areas.' The county river/stream overlay district requires a minimum fifty-foot buffer area to be placed along both sides of" blue-line" streams. The county enforces watershed protection areas which prohibits development on parcels less than two acres. The County applies strict standards on the type of development that may occur within watershed protection areas. 3. Hazard Mitigation Activities (a) Hazard mitigation includes three types of activities: (1) Structural mitigation - constructing dam and levee projects to protect against flooding, constructing disaster-resistant structures, and retrofitting existing structures to withstand future hazardous events. (2) Non-structural mitigation - development of land Use plans, zOning ordinances, subdivision regulations, and tax incentives and disincentives to discourage development in high- hazard risk areas. (3) Educational programs - educating the public about potential natural hazards, the importance of mitigation, and how to prepare for emergency situations. 4. Plan Obi ectives. (a) The mitigation objectives described in the text below and the mitigation activities outlined in Table 1 cover aspects of all three types of mitigation activities. These objectives and activities have been developed as specific ways in which to reach the plan's stated goals. Draft Basic Plan v.3.1 I~, ~ 5 1 July 2002