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Hays County Hazard Mitigation Plan, Hays County Annex <br />Hailstorms <br />Hailstorms: Location <br />The entire extent of Hays County is exposed to some degree of hail hazard. Since <br />hail can occur at any location, hail events could be experienced anywhere within <br />the planning area. <br />Hailstorms: Previous Occurrences <br />According to the NOAA Storm Events Database, there were 57 hail events reported for Hays County and <br />its unincorporated jurisdictions since the year 1967. <br />Risk Assessment <br />Hailstorms: Extent and Probability <br />The Tornado and Storm Research Organization (TORRO) created a hail extent index to measure hail called <br />the Hailstorm Intensity Scale. According to the reported previous hail occurrences for the planning area, <br />the maximum hail extent experienced was up to 3 inches, or 76.20 millimeters, in diameter. This size <br />corresponds to a TORRO Hailstorm Intensity Scale classification of a “Super Hailstorm.” Refer to Chapter <br />2, the risk assessment portion of the main plan document, for the TORRO hail extent scale descriptions. <br />Based on 57 reported events in 49 years, a hail event occurs in Hays County approximately once a year, <br />on average. Since hail events can happen anywhere throughout the HMP planning area, Hays County <br />unincorporated areas’ future probability is assumed to be similar to the entire County area. The planning <br />area’s probability for a hail event is approximately once every year (on average) in the future, with hail up <br />to 3 inches, or 76.20 millimeters, in diameter, corresponding to a TORRO Hailstorm Intensity Scale classi- <br />fication of a “Super Hailstorm.” <br />Hailstorms: Impact <br />Based on the maximum hail extent experienced (76.20 mm), the TORRO Hailstorm Intensity Scale (found <br />in Chapter 2, the risk assessment portion of the main plan document) indicates that impact can be <br />expected to include any of the following: <br />• Varying degrees of damage to vegetation and crops <br />• Damage to plastic structures <br />• Varying degrees of damage to glass <br />• Paint and wood scored <br />• Vehicle bodywork damage <br />• Varying degrees of roof damage <br />• Varying degrees of risk of injuries <br />• Varying degrees of aircraft damage <br />• Brick walls pitted <br />• Risk of severe or even fatal injuries to persons caught in the open <br />Hailstorms: Vulnerability Summary <br />Hays County structures roofs and windows are susceptible to hail damage, to include the County <br />Government Center, County Health Building, Commissioners Court Building, Emergency Services Building, <br />Juvenile Detention Center, and the Sheriff’s Office as they are not retrofitted or hardened for resistance <br />to hail damage. <br />Current plans for the new public safety building will include covered parking for police vehicles. Future <br />plans could incorporate retrofitting and reinforcing existing roofs and windows. <br />7 <br /> <br />