Cherokee County: New emergency management coordinator ready for action

Nov. 27--RUSK -- An upcoming public meeting in Rusk will allow county residents an opportunity to share thoughts and ideas about natural hazards that threaten the county, helping to update the Cherokee County hazard mitigation action plan.

"This is actually an ongoing thing," said Sergio Seguin, Cherokee County Emergency Management Coordinator. "We currently have a plan, but it has to be revised every five years."

Seguin, who grew up in Jacksonville and began working for the Cherokee County Probation Office in 2014 after a seven-year-stint in the military, began the position Oct. 1. He succeeds Sidney Riley, who retired earlier in the year.

The meeting is slated for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the Cherokee County Courthouse Annex, 165 E. 6th St. Suite 102 in Rusk. Citizen input will not only help create a tailored plan for the county, but it will be proactive in nature, Seguin said.

"There's very little we can do to prevent (natural disasters), but we can have something in place to help with the recovery phase," he pointed out, adding that a second public meeting is planned after the beginning of the year, with the date and location to be announced.

Ideally, "I'm hoping to have the plan said and done within the next six months," Seguin said.

Meanwhile, copies of the old plan "should be located at every city hall, with every law enforcement office and fire department" in Cherokee County, should people want to look at it, he said.

According to the State of Texas Hazard Mitigation Plan 2013, 15 defined hazards MUST be addressed in every Texas Plan. Those hazards are:

1. Flood, which is an overflow or accumulation of an expanse of water that submerges land. Flooding may result from the volume of water within a river, creek or lake, which overflows or breaks dams or levees, with the result that some of the water escapes its normal boundaries. A flash flood is rapid flooding of low-lying areas, usually caused by heavy rain in a relatively short period of time. For the purposes of this plan, flash floods are considered together with flood as a single hazard.

2. Hurricane / Tropical Storm, which are areas of disturbed weather in the tropics with closed isobars and a distinct rotary circulation. Hurricanes and tropical storms bring heavy rain, localized flooding, high tides, localized coastal erosion, and wind damage. To qualify as a hurricane, wind speed must be 74 mph or more. Hurricanes are classified into categories based on wind speed and the potential damage they cause. Because the subject jurisdictions are more than 250 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast, hurricanes and tropical storms are not a hazard to be mitigated in this Plan.

3. Wildfire, which is any uncontrolled fire that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Reflecting the type of vegetation or fuel, other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, grass fire, and wildland fire may be used to describe the same phenomenon. A wildfire differs from other fires by its extensive size, the speed at which it can spread out from its original source, and its ability to change direction unexpectedly and to jump gaps, such as roads, rivers and fire breaks.

4. Tornado, which is a localized and violently destructive rotating windstorm occurring over land, characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground.

5. Drought, which is an extended period of months when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture, and may cause severe water shortages, as well as higher fire danger.

6. Coastal Erosion, which is a hydrologic hazard defined as the wearing away of land and loss of beach, shoreline, or dune material because of natural coastal processes or manmade influences. Because the subject jurisdictions are more than 250 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast, coastal erosion is not a hazard to be mitigated in this Plan.

7. Dam or Levee Failure, which is defined as the sudden, uncontrolled release of water from a body of water that was previously contained by a dam or levee. Such events are comparatively rare but can cause immense damage and loss of life when they occur, if people or structures are in the release path.

8. Earthquake, which is the motion or trembling of the ground produced by a sudden displacement of rock in the Earth's crust.

9. Expansive Soil, which includes several types of clay, particularly bentonite, which are especially prone to shrinking and swelling. Areas where these clays are known to be present are especially likely to have damage due to expansive soil. This can disrupt supply lines (roads, power lines, railways and bridges) and damage structures.

10. Extreme Heat, which is defined as "temperatures that are 10° or more above the normal average high temperature." The dangerous effects of extreme heat are compounded by the addition of high humidity. Extreme heat is dangerous because heat stroke and dehydration may occur when people work outdoors in hot, humid conditions.

11. Hailstorm, which is defined as a storm which brings frozen precipitation in the form of small balls or lumps, usually consisting of concentric layers of clear ice and compact snow. Texas officials estimate that up to 40 percent of all homeowners' insurance claims in the state result from hail damage. The northern half of the state experiences more frequent severe hailstorms than other areas of Texas.

12. Land Subsidence, which is defined as the loss of surface elevation due to the removal of subsurface support. It can range from broad, regional lowering of the land surface to localized, full-blown collapses. Land subsidence occurs in different areas for different reasons. A sinkhole is a category of subsidence. Because land subsidence has not been reported in this County and is not expected to occur within the next five years, land subsidence is not a hazard to be mitigated in this Plan.

13. Severe Winter Storm, characterized by freezing rain or snow, and sometimes referred to as an ice storm. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least 0.25-inch (0.64 cm) of ice.

14. Windstorm, characterized by the presence of strong straight-line winds, of 85 mph or above, with little or no precipitation. According to the current FEMA wind zone map, Gregg County and its cities are located in wind speed zone 4, and can expect to be subject to Wind Storms generating straight-line winds of up to 250 mph. (Source: www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is394a/03wind-0306.pdf)

15. Lightning, which is the discharge of electrical energy resulting from the buildup of positive and negative charges within a thunderstorm, creating a "bolt" when the buildup of charges becomes strong enough. This flash of light usually occurs within the clouds or between the clouds and the ground. A bolt of lightning can reach temperatures approaching 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

To learn more about the Cherokee County hazard mitigation action plan, contact County Emergency Management Coordinator Sergio Seguin, 903-683-5947.

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