Hazard Vulnerability Assessment

Winter Storms:

General information index.  Also see Current Hazard Mitigation.

Fictitious County as well as the municipalities have all experienced severe winter storms. The most memorable storms in recent history have been the ice storms of 1994 and 1996. The storm in 1996 left several thousand citizens without electric power for up to nine days. Numerous shelters were opened and some roads were impassable for up to four days. Considerable disruption to business, industry, schools and government services occurred.

Winter storms in Fictitious County have inherent problems and often considerable costs associated with snow and ice removal or clearing, shelters that may have to be opened, numerous traffic accidents, power outages, and citizens who will lack proper food supplies or adequate heat.

Citizens also inappropriately use a variety of heating devices that can and do cause fires. Some even cause toxic fumes to build up in a residence that can lead to death. Death from a fire itself, toxic gases or when no heat is present hypothermia.

The entire county and the entire population is vulnerable to a severe winter storm.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rimkunas and James Weismuller (NOAA/NWS)  


* Population

Population Per Capita Income Historical storm losses
*128,975 *25,233 $35,750,000


** Estimated / Potential Economic Impact from a catastrophic ice storm. 

Structural Damage $8,776,000
Non - structural (i.e. power distribution systems, etc.) $18,823,000
Contents $1,000,000
Lost inventory $1,310,000
Relocation losses (cost of relocating population) $2,213,000
Capital losses $8,733,000
Wages lost $10,480,000
Snow and ice removal $4,500,000
Total Potential Losses $55,835,000

*** General information regarding deaths from winter storms:

Winter storms can kill without breaking climatological records. Their danger is persistent, year to year. Since 1936 snowstorms have caused, directly and indirectly, about one hundred deaths a year - and a year of 200 deaths is not unusual. Of such deaths, usually just over a third are attributed to automobile and other accidents; just less than a third to overexertion, exhaustion, and consequent fatal heart attack; while only about 11% result from exposure and fatal freezing. The remaining number, about 20%, are deaths due to home fires, carbon monoxide poisoning in stalled cars, electrocution from downed wires, and building collapse. Large numbers of snow-related deaths - 345 and 354 - occurred in 1958 and 1960 respectively. About half of these deaths occurred in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania.

*Source - NC Department of Commerce Economic Development Information System
** Source - Fictitious County FEMA DSRs 94/96 adjusted to 2002 values.
*** Source - NOAA / sunysuffolk.edu