Pre- and Post-Katrina Planning in Pearl River County A Proactive Approach to Staying Ahead of Development and Regulatory Curves Harold Holmes Pearl River County Planning and Development David Spector - CDM May 2006 Pearl River County 1
Pearl River County Pearl River County 2
ELEVATION IS THE SALVATION FOR INUNDATION Pearl River County Population: 1990 36,465 2000 48,621 2005 52,000 (pre-katrina) 2006 70,000 3
Board of Supervisors took a pro-active approach to growth and development, using local funds wisely by matching with Federal and State funds In 1997 the Board established the Department of Planning and Development, one of the few countywide planning agencies in the state Subdivision regulations adopted in 1998 Strategic Plan Mississippi Power worked with citizens and elected officials on setting goals for the future of the county Planning grants from the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation in 1999 and 2001 Cooperative effort between the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors and the Cities of Poplarville and Picayune and their residents 4
Pre -Katrina FEMA Map Modernization Cooperative Technical Partnership signed in 2000 Pre -Katrina GIS Implementation Plan funded through a Planning Assistance to States (PAS) agreement with Vicksburg Corps of Engineers in 2001 5
FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant for Alligator Branch Drainage Improvement acquisition and location 2001-2003 FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant for Alligator Branch Drainage Improvement acquisition and location 2001-2003 6
FEMA pre-disaster Mitigation grant acquisition of repetitive flood loss properties 2003 Vicksburg Corps of Engineers Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Agreement (Jan. 2003) LiDAR Aerial photography 7
Pre -Katrina Grant from Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation, along with funding from Picayune, Poplarville, and the Board of Supervisors to develop a county-wide multi-jurisdictional building code implementation plan 2003 Pre -Katrina DMR/CRMP grant for conservation subdivision development template in 2004 - By example - By improved ordinances - Through outreach and education 8
Mobile Corps of Engineers 592 Grant Program for Rural Utility Consolidation design a Master Plan to facilitate implementation of a county-wide utility district Stormwater Management grant Partnership with MDEQ and Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain. 9
planning positioned the County to better manage and accommodate the rapid influx of residents from impacted areas of Louisiana and Mississippi Post-Katrina 10
Post-Katrina Chaos with local, state and Federal agencies overwhelmed Emergency Management issues were in the forefront - Fuel shortages - 50,000 evacuees in county - Distribution of water, ice, food and other services - Re-opening roads Post-Katrina Board of Supervisors and two cities adopted a joint resolution requesting fast tracking for adoption of ICC Building Codes and development of Comprehensive Master Plan within a week of the storm 11
Post-Katrina Re-Established Intergovernmental Council - Cities and County agreed to meet frequently to work cooperatively on issues of importance - Utility Consolidation - Building Code Implementation - Multi-jurisdictional planning grant Post-Katrina Planning grant for Comprehensive Master Plan for land use from Mississippi Development Authority FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant for multijurisdictional implementation of 2003 ICC Building Codes 12
Post -Katrina Post-Katrina Subdivision Activity Minimum of 50 active subdivisions pre- and post-katrina with more to come every day The Board of Supervisors has not yet mandated conservation subdivisions, yet developers are submitting conservation subdivision designs to meet the success of Pearl River County s first conservation subdivision Wildwood Post -Katrina Post-Katrina State-mandated water, wastewater, and storm water authority adopted by state legislature (SB2943) and signed by Governor Barbour April 18 13
Post-Katrina Expanded Hazard Mitigation grant program to select more repetitive flood loss properties Post-Katrina ESF 14 FEMA planning began in November US Department of Labor funding for temporary jobs for Katrina victims through the MS Department of Employment Security 14
Post-Katrina Task Force for recovery, rebuilding and renewal First meeting held on January 19, 2006 - Immediate needs - Preparedness - Long term recovery Public open house held February 23 for public input Post-Katrina Hurricane preparedness brochure 15
Conclusion The foresight of the Board of Supervisors created the institutional framework and set the stage for the County to manage the accelerated growth in Pearl River County in a responsible manner. Questions? 16