Religiosidad ilustrada y virtud en la urbe.

Distance from Transportation Corridor

¼ mile radius ½ mile radius

1 mile radius (EHSF)

Bridges (#) - - -

Pipeline/Sewer (mi) - - -

Pipeline/Utility (mi) 22.36 mi 28.05 mi 2.48 mi

Rail Road (mi) - - -

Roads (mi) - - -

Wells (#) - - -

There is one Extremely Hazardous Substance Facility within the County, near Silver Peak as shown in Figure 6 in Appendix B. No critical facilities are identified within a mile of this facility, but about 2.5 miles of utility pipeline does cross the area within a mile.

Impacts on the community from a hazardous materials event could include human illness due to exposure to chemicals, contamination of groundwater supplies, and damage to or contamination of structures. Hazardous materials incidents may pose long-term threats to public health, property, or the environment. The proximity of a hazardous materials release to streams and ground water sources signifies a potential threat to the water system. Environmental damage, including the potential for wildland fire, is an additional consideration.

Impacts to future populations, residences, critical facilities, and infrastructure are anticipated at the same impact level, contingent upon the development of the Yucca Mountain facility in neighboring Nye County, which would constitute a key source of materials being transported through Esmeralda County.

6.3.6 Severe Winter Storm

Using information provided by Esmeralda County and the State Climatologist, the entire existing and future County population, residences, and critical facilities are equally exposed to the effects of a severe weather event. This includes 971 people in 627 residential buildings (worth $27,098), two nonresidential buildings (worth $5,456), and 35 critical facilities (worth $6.5 million).

Impacts associated with severe weather events include injury and death resulting from the presence of ice, or heavy precipitation that causes flooding. In the infrequent but possible event of heavy snow, County emergency services may not have the appropriate equipment to respond immediately due to the unusual nature of these events.

SECTIONSIX

Vulnerability Analysis

cover enough terrain to find food. Regardless of the initial damage done by the storm, the scars on the environment will usually disappear in a matter of months.

6.3.7 Wildfire

There is potential for wildland fire to interface with the population centers within the County. For the purposes of this exposure and vulnerability assessment, it is assumed that all structures within the County are equally exposed to the impacts of a wildland fire event. This includes 971 people in 627 residential buildings (worth $27,098), two nonresidential buildings (worth $5,456), and 35 critical facilities (worth $6.5 million).

Impacts associated with a wildland fire event include the potential for loss of life and property. It can also impact livestock and pets and destroy forest resources and contaminate water supplies. Buildings outside of the primary population centers, those with extensive vegetation surrounding the structure, and those constructed with wood are some of the buildings that are more vulnerable to the impacts of wildland fire.

Impacts to future populations, residences, critical facilities, and infrastructure are anticipated at the same impact level. Community education, building materials, and prepared response personnel are some things that could lessen future impacts. Given the extensive Federal land management within the County, coordination with the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service could also reduce future impacts through improved planning for the urban- wildland interface.

Environmental impacts from a major wilderness fire can be extreme, and may be exacerbated even further if the fire becomes a wildland fire. Normal environmental damage includes deforestation, death of animals, pollution of streams and rivers with burnt material, increased erosion and later landslides. This damage may take decades to reverse. If the fire happens in an area of old growth forest, which may have been in existence for hundreds of years, it could take centuries for the environment to regain its original form and biodiversity. However, even with the damage done, not everything about the damage is detrimental. The damage done to the environment and the destruction of the forest opens up areas for colonization by new plants and animals. These burned areas allow sunlight to reach the ground. In doing so, plants that have not been able to survive in the heavily shaded understory that normally exist in old growth forests will thrive. As they do so, they will attract animals that thrive on them. Over time, the remnants of the original forest will encroach on the open area and it will once again return to forest.

6.3.8 Wind

Using information provided by Esmeralda County and the National Climate Data Center (NCDC), the entire existing and future County population, residences, and critical facilities are equally exposed to the effects of a high wind event. This includes 971 people in 627 residential buildings (worth $27,098), two nonresidential buildings (worth $5,456), and 35 critical facilities (worth $6.5 million).

Impacts on the community from wind events may include damages to structures and dust storms. Impacts to future populations, residences, critical facilities, and infrastructure are anticipated at the same impact level.

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Vulnerability Analysis

The environmental impacts include downed trees and limbs. In some cases, entire stands of trees can blow down in a single windstorm. A single tree falling at any one point is a very minor environmental problem that will not even be noticed. However, a full stand of trees falling together leaves a scar that will take decades to regrow. Loss of forest increases erosion, and increased erosion leads to more silt in the rivers. Fallen trees can block streams or cause log jams on rivers that can cause the water to back up with possible flood consequences.

6.4

LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT TRENDS

Esmeralda County controls less than four percent of the total acreage within its limits and therefore is extremely hesitant to embrace formalized land use planning structures. The County adopted their Master Plan in 1986, which was updated in 2011. The Master Plan states that the BLM and other government (federal or state) agencies must include Esmeralda County as a participating or cooperating, as applicable, local government agency in any decisions or plans regarding the use of land, e.g., grazing, mining rights, renewable energy resource utilization. The overwhelming stance the residents of Esmeralda County have taken is to not establish regulatory methods that would define zoning, building codes, building permits, land use management, and overall county planning.

Future development trends in Esmeralda County will likely remain relatively flat as its population appears to have only a slight increase from 2010 to 2014. The County is not expected to appreciably vary from its current rural and sparsely populated character in the future. Any future development will incorporate existing or future building codes and regulations that include mitigation measures. Therefore, future developement will not pose a significant vulnerability.

DMA 2000 Recommendations: Risk Assessment, Assessing Vulnerability, Analyzing Development Trends Assessing Vulnerability: Analyzing Development Trends

Requirement §201.6(c)(2)(ii)(C): [The plan should describe vulnerability in terms of ] providing a general description of land

uses and development trends within the community so that mitigation options can be considered in future land use decisions.

Element

 Does the new or updated plan describe land uses and development trends? Source: FEMA, July 2008.