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Hays County Hazard Mitigation Plan, Hays County Annex <br />Additional impacts from extreme wind events could include downed utility poles, <br />street signals, and debris on roadways resulting in obstructions for emergency <br />responders and residents entering and leaving their homes. <br />Structures can be damaged by flying debris and impact from winds damaging <br />rooftops and causing other structural damage. Manufactured homes are especially <br />vulnerable to damage that high winds can cause, to include destruction in the most <br />extreme event conditions. <br />Critical infrastructure could be disrupted, resulting in periods of impact to service of residents due to <br />damages to the facilities themselves or lack of back-up utility resources. <br />Risk Assessment <br />Windstorms: Vulnerability Summary <br />Hays County has previously experienced debris accumulation on roadways during past windstorm events. <br />Such incidents could cause impact on the ability of public safety officials to respond to emergency calls. <br />According to the Office of Emergency Services, a large-scale event requiring extensive debris removal over <br />the entire County area, approximately 926 miles of roadway within the unincorporated areas, would be <br />unmanageable for the County to handle as an individually funded effort. <br />Structures built prior to more stringent building codes, as well as manufactured homes within the <br />unincorporated areas, would be more vulnerable to structural damage from extreme wind events than <br />site-built structures built to higher building standards. <br />There are many sites of critical facilities and infrastructure that are located within the unincorporated <br />areas of Hays County (according to spatial HAZUS data and community submitted critical facility data) that <br />are not retrofitted to mitigate damages from extreme wind events. These facilities include: North Hays <br />County Fire Rescue, South Hays Fire Department, Buda Fire Stations 1 and 3, San Marcos Hays County <br />EMS, Office of the Justice of the Peace, Road and Bridge Department, and the Development Services <br />Department. Damages sustained by an extreme wind event to these facilities could hinder the ability to <br />provide crucial services needed by the community. <br />9 <br /> <br />