Res 2024-045 approving the 2024 City of San Marcos Hazards Mitigation Action Plan (“HMAP”)

Home Browse Search

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION Background................................................................................................................................ 1 Scope........................................................................................................................................ 2 Purpose..................................................................................................................................... 2 Authority..................................................................................................................................... 3 Summaryof Sections................................................................................................................. 3 BACKGROUND The City of San Marcos is the county seat of Hays County, one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. Part of the Greater Austin Metropolitan Area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor 30 miles southwest of Austin and 51 miles northeast of San Antonio. It is situated on the Balcones Fault, the boundary between the hill country to the west and coastal plains to the east. Many springs emerge along the fault, including San Marcos Springs, which is the source of the San Marcos River and Spring Lake. Texas is prone to extremely heavy rains and flooding with half of the world record rainfall rates (48 hours or less).' While flooding is a well-known risk, the City of San Marcos is susceptible to a wide range of natural hazards, including but not limited to extreme heat, tornadoes, hail, and wildfires. These life-threatening hazards can destroy property, disrupt the economy, and lower the overall quality of life for individuals. While it is impossible to prevent an event from occurring, the impacts from many hazards to people and property can be lessened through mitigation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines mitigation as sustained actions taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from hazards and their effects.2 Communities participate in hazard mitigation by developing hazard mitigation plans. The Texas Division of Emergency Management (IDEM) is required to review the plan and FEMA has the authority to review and approve hazard mitigation plans through the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA). In 2003-2006, Hays County originally developed their multi -jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), which included annexes for the county's individual jurisdictions, including the City of San Marcos. The County's plan and annexes were updated in 2011 and again in 2016-2018 per DMA requirements. The previous Plan was approved by FEMA in 2018. The Disaster Mitigation Act requires that hazard mitigation plans be reviewed and revised every five years to maintain eligibility for Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant funding. Since FEMA approved the City of San Marcos Hays County HMP Update in 2018, the City began the process of developing their own 2024 Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update in order to maintain eligibility for grant funding within the five-year window. The HMAP Update planning process provided an opportunity for the City of San Marcos to evaluate successful mitigation actions and explore opportunities to avoid future disaster loss. The 2018 HMAP expired in 2023, therefore the City of San Marcos selected H2O Partners, Inc. to write and develop the 2024 HMAP Update, hereinafter titled: "The City of San Marcos Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2024: Maintaining a Safe, Secure, and Sustainable Community" (Plan or Plan Update). The HMAP Update planning 1 http://www.floodsafety.com/texas/regional-info/san-antonio-flooding/ 2 http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning-resources City of San Marcos I Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2024 1 Page 1