4.7 SR 06-01-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Sherburne County Multi -Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2020 dwellings. Wind in excess of 50 mph (43.4 knots) is the lower limit of wind speeds capable of damaging mobile homes (American Meteorological Society, 2004). Steps to mitigate these vulnerabilities have been taken but have not proven sufficient. For example, mobile home parks with io or more homes that received their primary license after March i, 3.998, are required to provide storm shelters that meet standards specified by the commissioner of administration (Minnesota Department of Health, 2oi8). However, mobile home parks often do not provide the required storm shelters. Building codes have also changed to improve the strength of new mobile home construction, but there are still many older mobile homes in use that do not meet these new standards. According to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, from 1985-2002, 49% of tornado fatalities in the United States were people who remained within or attempted to flee from mobile homes (American Meteorological Society, 2004). Given the vulnerability of mobile home residents to windstorm events, it is important to have a general understanding of where mobile homes are located. Figure A - 3.3 displays the locations of the four mobile home parks in Sherburne County. The likelihood of a windstorm event does not vary geographically in Sherburne County. Because communication is so important before a windstorm event, citizens that are in living in rural areas, have limited mobility, do not live near an outdoor warning siren or do not use social media may be more affected. According to the Social Vulnerability Index results in Figure 4, citizens with social factors that make up the household composition and disability theme may be greatest in the area west of Elk River. As with all summer storms, those who work outdoors or do not have permanent housing are also at greater risk. Sherburne County Emergency Management identified that there are existing program gaps and deficiencies that make its citizens more vulnerable to summer storms (includes windstorms) and should be addressed with new mitigation efforts to reduce vulnerability. They include: Warning Siren Coverage— Sherburne County has a large warning siren system, however, some of the sirens are old and have not been serviced frequently. This could lead to sirens not working properly, causing residents to not receive warnings during an event. Emergency Services is currently working on updating the county's outdoor warning system. Sherburne County has implemented CodeRED, however, not everyone has enrolled in the community notification system. The outdoor warning system seems to be the best method of warning the general public. Backup Power— Not all county and city facilities have backup power in the event of a severe storm that takes out power. Storm Shelters/Community Safe Rooms — There are many areas throughout the county that do not have safe rooms or storm shelters to protect vulnerable populations from severe storm and tornadoes/extreme wind events (i.e., mobile home parks, campgrounds or schools). 4.3.3 Lightning Lightning typically occurs as a by-product of a thunderstorm. In only a few millionths of a second, the air near a lightning strike is heated to 50,000°F, a temperature hotter than the surface of the sun. The Page148