Minutes

Morgantown, KY

February 7, 2005

A public meeting was held in the Butler County Fiscal Courtroom on Monday, February 7, 2005. The meeting was conducted by Jack Eversole, Services Coordinator, Barren River Area Development District.

Those attending were provided with a sign-in card, an agenda (copy attached), and other materials including worksheets for identifying hazards. The meeting was characterized as informal with questions and discussion encouraged. He discussed the Stafford Act and the work of FEMA and the State Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) in organizing the planning process. He described how the BRADD Board had encouraged local governments to join in the process and how local officials had helped in forming the five Special Purpose Committees to work with State Climatologist, Dr. Stuart Foster, in determining the natural hazards prevalent in the region.

Alfonso Casana , Technical Services Director, reviewed the data available through the BRADD website created to support the planning effort. Dr. Foster’s 2001 study of natural hazards in the BRADD, FEMA documents, and much of the State’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, are available. The website also provides citizens with the opportunity to review data and the work done and to make comments or ask questions via the internet. For persons who do not have

Internet access, the local libraries have the data on hand and also will provide citizens with assistance in connecting to the BRADD and other related websites. The information also is available through the County Judge/Executive’s office.

Mr. Casana discussed the earthquake damage potential from the New Madrid fault. Rick Scott, representing Morgantown, said that tremors are not uncommon in Butler County. Butler County vulnerability rankings in the State plan were reviewed and discussed. Tony Keithley, Region 4 KDEM Coordinator, noted that Morgantown would have an eligibility problem because the City had never agreed to participate in the Flood Insurance Program.

Mr. Scott said he would undertake to achieve this and Mr. Keithley agreed to assist.

Kyle Key, Safety Coordinator, reviewed the process for identifying hazards, profiling hazard events, inventorying assets, and estimating losses. Although there had been some deep mining in Butler County, land subsidence was not considered a problem. The severe cold weather in wintertime was stressed. Karst sink holes were not. Flooding problems from the Green River , particularly in Woodbury and Rochester, were discussed. Those attending were asked to participate in the identification of hazards affecting Butler County and the region, and the risk of damage each presented. (The consensus list is Attachment A)

Mr. Eversole distributed a list of goals proposed in other regions and discussed their applicability. The participants in the meeting agreed that the goals represented aims with which they concurred. The list was adopted by consensus.

Minutes

February 7, 2005

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Mr. Eversole said the discussion could be continued via the internet. The Special Purpose Committees will review the materials and comments from this and the other Countywide meetings in the region. Their work will be formulated into a draft plan and brought back for another round of public discussions in the spring.

The meeting was adjourned.