Laserfiche WebLink
APPENDIX A. ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS <br />A-4 <br />Community Rating System (CRS): The CRS is a voluntary program under the NFIP that rewards <br />participating communities (provides incentives) for exceeding the minimum requirements of the NFIP and <br />completing activities that reduce flood hazard risk by providing flood insurance premium discounts. <br />Critical Area: An area defined by state or local regulations as deserving special protection because of <br />unique natural features or its value as habitat for a wide range of species of flora and fauna. A <br />sensitive/critical area is usually subject to more restrictive development regulations. <br />Critical Facility: Facilities and infrastructure that are critical to the health and welfare of the population. <br />These become especially important after any hazard event occurs. For the purposes of this plan, critical <br />facilities include: <br />• Structures or facilities that produce, use, or store highly volatile, flammable, explosive, toxic <br />and/or water reactive materials; <br />• Hospitals, nursing homes, and housing likely to contain occupants who may not be sufficiently <br />mobile to avoid death or injury during a hazard event. <br />• Police stations, fire stations, vehicle and equipment storage facilities, and emergency <br />operations centers that are needed for disaster response before, during, and after hazard events, <br />and <br />• Public and private utilities, facilities and infrastructure that are vital to maintaining or restoring <br />normal services to areas damaged by hazard events. <br />• Government facilities. <br />Cubic Feet per Second (cfs): Discharge or river flow is commonly measured in cfs. One cubic foot is <br />about 7.5 gallons of liquid. <br />Dam: Any artificial barrier or controlling mechanism that can or does impound 10 acre-feet or more of <br />water. <br />Dam Failure: Dam failure refers to a partial or complete breach in a dam (or levee) that impacts its integrity. <br />Dam failures occur for a number of reasons, such as flash flooding, inadequate spillway size, mechanical <br />failure of valves or other equipment, freezing and thawing cycles, earthquakes, and intentional destruction. <br />Debris Avalanche: Volcanoes are prone to debris and mountain rock avalanches that can approach speeds <br />of 100 mph. <br />Debris Flow: Dense mixtures of water-saturated debris that move down-valley; looking and behaving much <br />like flowing concrete. They form when loose masses of unconsolidated material are saturated, become <br />unstable, and move down slope. The source of water varies but includes rainfall, melting snow or ice, and <br />glacial outburst floods. <br />Debris Slide: Debris slides consist of unconsolidated rock or soil that has moved rapidly down slope. They <br />occur on slopes greater than 65 percent. <br />Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA); The DMA is Public Law 106-390 and is the latest federal <br />legislation enacted to encourage and promote proactive, pre-disaster planning as a condition of receiving <br />financial assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Act. The DMA emphasizes planning for disasters before <br />they occur. Under the DMA, a pre-disaster hazard mitigation program and new requirements for the national <br />post-disaster hazard mitigation grant program (HMGP) were established.