Drought Mitigation and Response Advisory Council Elements of a Drought Response Plan

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Drought Mitigation and Response Advisory
CouncilElements of a Drought Response Plan

• May 29, 2008

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Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Kentucky Drought Mitigation
and Response plan is to reduce the impacts of
droughts by identifying principal activities,
groups, or regions most at risk and developing
mitigation actions and programs that alter these
vulnerabilities Adapted from The Basics of
Drought Planning A 10-Step Process
When drought management is considered in this
context, Drought Response becomes but one
component of a larger suite of actions.
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Drought Plans in Other States

• Introduction
• Drought Conditions Update
• Drought Trigger Indicators
• Structure of Drought Planning
• Drought Task Force
• Drought Task Force Work Groups Monitoring,
  Drinking Water, Agriculture, Wildlife and
  Wildfire, Recreation, Economic Development and
  Tourism, Water Development
• Workgroup Activities and Priorities
• Appendices
• Recommendations, Executive Order, Task Force
  Members, Work Group Members

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Drought Plans in Other States
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Drought Plans in Other States
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Drought Plans in Other States
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Drought Plans in Other States
1. INTRODUCTION
2. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLANS AND POLICIES
3. OVERVIEW OF DROUGHT IN HAWAII
4. HAWAII DROUGHT PROGRAM
5. DROUGHT MONITORING, FORECASTING, AND IMPACT
ASSESSMENT
6. DROUGHT RISK AND VULNERABILITY IN HAWAII
7. DROUGHT COMMUNICATION AND RESPONSE ACTIONS
8. DROUGHT MITIGATION AND PREPAREDNESS
9. RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
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Drought Plans in Other States
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Drought Plans in Other States
1. INTRODUCTION
2. DROUGHT MANAGEMENT TASK FORCE
3. DATA COLLECTION
4. COMMUNICATION
5. DROUGHT ACTION LEVELS
6. DROUGHT RESPONSE
7. DROUGHT SEVERITY INDICES
8. EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS-LEGAL AUTHORITIES AND
POWERS
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Drought Plans in Other States
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Drought Plans in Other States
1. INTRODUCTION
2. DROUGHT MONITORING
3. DROUGHT EVALUATION REGIONS
4. DROUGHT INDICATORS
5. DECLARARTION OF DROUGHT STAGES
6. RESPONSES TO DROUGHT IN VIRGINIA
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Drought Plans in Other States

• Many Plans with many things in common
• Information background, climate, plan purpose
• Duties and Responsibilities of Groups and
  Agencies
• Organizational Structure and Information Pathways
• Specific Drought Response Actions
• Climate monitoring and drought development
• Drought triggers and associated agency/community
  actions
• Recommended local actions to reduce water
  consumption
• Identification of available agency resources and
  emergency assistance
• A majority can be classified as pure response
  plans

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Guiding Principles for Kentuckys Drought Plan

• A transition from drought-reactive to
  drought-proactive
• Effective local drought preparedness as the
  primary mitigation for drought
• Local, state and federal efforts efficiently
  linked
• Drought preparedness as the key to reducing
  drought risk
• Drought planning creates a framework for
  preparedness

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Kentuckys Drought Plan Goals
Goal 1

• Create a Drought Management Organizational
  Structure
• Formalize and improve upon existing structure
• Develop clear lines of communication and
  encourage close coordination
• Facilitate the implementation of risk
  reduction activities during non-drought years
• Develop public trust in state/local/federal
  drought management capabilities
• Provide continuity through time and changes to
  personnel and administrations

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Kentuckys Drought Plan Goals
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Kentuckys Drought Plan Goals
Goal 2

• Prepare a detailed plan for dealing with Drought
  Emergency
• Kentucky is not prepared for successful
  management of a drought of the magnitude of
  those seen in the 1930s and 1950s.
• Agricultural emergencies are common with the
  common droughts of recent memory
• Water supply emergencies have been most
  successfully averted by Mother Nature with a few
  exceptions
• Pre-determined crisis management procedures
  can remove a substantial roadblock to rapid
  response and effective decision-making
• Regional or statewide water supply emergencies
  will require the entire combined effort of
  local, state, and federal agencies

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Kentuckys Drought Plan Goals
Goal 3

• Develop a new Climate and Water Resources
  Monitoring System
• Expand upon the role of the Water Availability
  Advisory Group as the official advisory body for
  analysis of climate and hydrologic data
• Develop a more comprehensive system of drought
  classification that provides valuable and timely
  information to all water-sensitive sectors of
  Kentuckys economy
• Develop a clear yet comprehensive procedure to
  communicate the severity of emerging drought to
  the public including early warning
• Identify data needs or gaps in scientific
  understanding that must be addressed in order to
  effectively implement drought mitigation
  strategies in the Commonwealth
• Provide justifications for investment of
  resources into programs or systems designed to
  improve the collection, processing or application
  of climate and hydrologic data in the
  Commonwealth

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Kentuckys Drought Plan Goals
Goal 4

• Develop capabilities to implement comprehensive
  drought impact assessment, before, during, and
  after a drought experience
• Areas/instances of drought impacts often
  learned about second-hand
• During drought many adverse outcomes can be
  mitigated if the proper agencies are notified in
  a timely manner
• Pre-drought vulnerability assessment will
  identify areas where proactive drought
  mitigation measures can be implemented
• Post-drought impact assessment is crucial to
  the progressive improvement of drought
  management processes at all levels of society
• Quantification of the adverse impacts of
  drought on social, human, environmental and
  economic health can lead to improved drought
  risk-reduction strategies

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Kentuckys Drought Plan Goals
Goal 5

• Put forth recommendations that provide a
  framework for transitioning from reactive to
  proactive drought management
• Develop and implement procedures for drought
  vulnerability assessments to identify the most
  significant drought risks in the Commonwealth
• Develop institutional partnerships that work
  to reduce drought risk and increase
  understanding of the scientific, social, or
  economic complexities of drought
• Work to develop long-term changes in human
  expectations and behaviors as they relate to
  reducing drought risk
• Seek partnerships and develop strong ties
  between existing programs and agencies in state
  government that work in areas related to reducing
  drought risk