02-25-19-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Ramsey County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2018 Page | 52 Backup Power – Not all county or municipal facilities have backup power to critical facilities in the event of a severe winter storm that results in an extended power loss. Communications – Everbridge’s open subscription service was made available to the public in September 2016 (https://www.ramseycounty.us/alerts). However, not all residents have subscribed to or follow our Facebook page to receive important messages. Additionally, there are translation services for only three languages (Spanish, Somali, and Hmong). There are over 100 identified languages spoken in Ramsey County, and more than 50 are spoken preferentially in the home. Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security will, in cooperation/coordination with other partners, place an emphasis on increasing citizen subscription to Everbridge. Severe Weather Shelters – The state requires shelters for manufactured home parks with 10 or more manufactured homes per MN Statute 327.20. Ramsey County has 14 manufactured homes parks. Of these parks, 12 have indicated they have shelters, one has stated it does not and one is in an unknown status meaning that the shelter may or may not exist, and if it does, it may or may not be habitable. It is also unknown with all the parks whether the existing shelters have capacity needed for populations present. Given that this has become an issue with local media of late, Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security will, in cooperation/coordination with other partners, place an emphasis on this activity. See KSTP News Story here: http://kstp.com/news/mobile-home-park-severe- weather-storm-shelter-minnesota-law-nowhere-to-hide-chetek-wisconsin/4564189/?cat=5 4.4.3 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 hazard posed by lightning is significant. High winds, rainfall, and a darkening cloud cover are the warning signs for possible cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. While many lightning casualties happen at the beginning of an approaching storm, more than half of lightning deaths occur after a thunderstorm has passed. Lightning has been known to strike more than 10 miles from the storm in an area with clear sky above. Lightning strikes the ground approximately 25 million times each year in the U.S. According to the NWS, the chance of an individual in the U.S. being killed or injured by lightning during a given year is 1 in 240,000 (NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, n.d.). Lightning is the most dangerous and frequently encountered weather hazard that most people in the United States experience annually. Lightning is the second most frequent killer in the U.S., behind floods and flash floods, with nearly 100 deaths and 500 injuries annually. The lightning current can branch off to strike a person from a tree, fence, pole, or other tall object. In addition, an electrical current may be conducted through the ground to a person after lightning strikes a nearby tree, antenna, or another tall object. The current may also travel through power lines, telephone lines, or plumbing pipes to damage property or cause fires. Lightning History in Ramsey County The NCEI has recorded just 3 lightning events in Ramsey County, two of which occurred in 2005 and one of which occurred in 1998. In August of 2005, lightning struck a home and a nearby tree on