Rural Economic Disaster
Recovery Resource Center
Recovery Resource Center
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Rural Economic Disaster Recovery Resource Center |
WHAT NOW? WHERE TO TURN? YOU’RE NOT ALONE PREPARE NOW Disaster recovery |
In-Depth Case Study Wiggins/Stone County, Mississippi: |
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Prepared by Nicole D'Andrea, Alabama Southern Community College in West Alabama Wiggins, Misissippi--35 miles from the Gulf Coast--during and after Hurricane Katrina:
There is no way of foreseeing disaster. There is no way of predicting outcomes. Hurricane Katrina could be seen in the Gulf of Mexico for days before she made landfall, however, there was no way of knowing the damage that would ensue and the force that would come ashore with her. Nothing in her path was safe. Nothing off limits. Natural disasters could potentially strike at any time, on any day. Preparedness is something not to be taken lightly, however, it is impossible to know how much to prepare. Take it from a community that learned the hard way: there is no such thing as too much preparation. The following is of the City of Wiggins and Stone County Mississippi. The County and City had made Strategic Plans, Comprehensive Plans, and Emergency Management Plans, but even the best written plans can be temporarily forgotten on a shelf once panic sets in; what happens when lives and property are at the mercy of nature, is what determines what a community is made of. Wiggins and Stone County learned that while it is OK to mourn losses, it is vital for the survival of the community not to get buried so deep in self-pity that you forget to pick up the pieces.
Satellite photo of Hurricane Katrina before making landfall. Community Description Stone County, a county with an estimated population of over 16,000, is 25 miles from the Mississippi Gulf Coastline and is bounded by Harrison County to the south, Pearl River County to the west, George County to the east and Forrest and Perry Counties to the north. Wiggins, the only incorporated community in the county and the county seat, is located in the north-central portion of the county. U.S. Highway 49, the major highway between Jackson and the Gulf Coast runs north-south through the middle of the county. State Highway 26 runs east-west through the northern portion of the county and State Highway 15 runs north-south through the eastern side. Stone County was a growing community prior to Hurricane Katrina and her impact is expediting the population and business growth in the County. According to the 2000 Census, Stone County had a population of 13,622 and was the sixth fastest growing county in Mississippi with a ten-year growth rate of 27 percent. The 2005 pre-Katrina population was estimated at 14,862 with approximately 4,300 or 29 percent residing in the city of Wiggins. The remaining 71 percent of population resided in the unincorporated communities and rural areas of the County. Population six months following Katrina was estimated at 16,633 or an increase of 10 percent. According to recent population projections calculated since Katrina, Stone County is expected to double its population by 2020 to over 33,000. The number of retail, manufacturing and other commercial establishments opened or announced in the past nine months total in excess of twenty business/industries. While commercial and residential development is welcomed, it raises issues that must be addressed—issues such as water and sewer infrastructure, roads, increased pervious surfaces that could lead to displacing storm water runoff, and the change in previously undisturbed lands to developed property. The Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed post-Katrina; however since Hazard Mitigation planning was required by FEMA, having such a plan in place before the disaster would have increased financial response time, as well as expedited funding from FEMA for recovery efforts.
When Hurricane Katrina came ashore in August 2005, Stone County was well into planning for the county’s future which included identifying its threats and weaknesses, as well as how to better position the county/city to provide for the well being, safety and quality of life for its residents. Stone County began the strategic planning process in September 2004 when the Stone County Board of Supervisors voted to utilize the services of the Mississippi Development Authority for consultation and facilitation of the development of a strategic plan. The Stone County Strategic Plan was released in July 2005, just weeks before Hurricane Katrina. Many of the issues addressed in hazard mitigation planning were issues of concern in the strategic plan. Personal interviews of county/city residents were conducted. Public meetings were held, with meetings publicized in local newspapers. During such meetings, issues were addressed, identified, and grouped into five categories. Tasks forces were formed from participants of the public meetings which included representation from business, elected county/city officials, education, emergency management, fire departments, retirees, social services, medical services, recreation, economic development and rural water systems. Each task force focused on a specific category of concern. The tasks forces, who met twice monthly for three months, worked as teams to review research data, survey results and set goals, objectives and strategies for their specific areas of concern for the county’s and city’s future. Approximately 190 people were involved in the strategic planning process. With the onslaught of Katrina, a strategic planning group from the county and city convened, with many of the same individuals from the county’s strategic planning effort, to assess the county/city post-Katrina and address disaster preparedness, recovery and accommodation for the anticipated growth to come. Dr. Judson Edwards of the University of Southern Mississippi facilitated the process to plan and deal with various impacts of Hurricane Katrina. Included in the post-Katrina planning group were the City of Wiggins Mayor and Board of Aldermen, Stone County Board of Supervisors, EOC director, county engineer, city engineer, representatives from economic development, education, business, utilities, and county/city services. The group met throughout the months of October, November, and December. During the three months of post-Katrina planning, over 200 people participated in the process. The post-Katrina strategic planning group addressed issues and identified projects and activities to better prepare Stone County and the City of Wiggins for disasters and their impact relative to damage and county growth. Issues and projects related to land use, infrastructure, economic base, housing and quality of life were identified. The University of Southern Mississippi conducted a survey of hurricane dislocated families to determine their relocation intentions and gain demographic information. The group produced a “Project List: Wiggins/Stone County, Mississippi” (entire list is ‘Appendix A’)that included:
During April and May of 2006 personal interviews were conducted of the rural water systems, City of Wiggins, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to determine water/sewer/flood problems, current capacity and demand on future needs. The city engineer, city clerk, and department head of maintenance/utilities were interviewed to identify the city’s water/sewer/flood issues and project program needs to reduce/minimize disaster impacts and plan for growth accelerated by the population shift from the heavily devastated coastal counties. Joint planning meetings with the City of Wiggins Mayor and Board of Aldermen, Stone County Board of Supervisors, and Stone County Economic Development Partnership Board provided additional input into risks assessment for disasters and planning hazard mitigation strategies for emergency operations, infrastructure, evacuation shelters, transportation routes, and economic diversity. These ongoing planning efforts were integrated into the hazard mitigation planning activities. Hazard Mitigation planning activities began in March 2006 with the assistance of the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District (SMPDD). However, due to SMPDD funding, the Stone County Board of Supervisors and City of Wiggins proceeded with the development of the Plan under the coordination of the Director of Emergency Operations, Raven James and with the assistance of Nell Murray, Murray Consulting Services. The Planning Committee, which had been working on the hazard mitigation plan since March, was formerly appointed by the Stone County Board of Supervisors in June 2006. Representation on the Committee included Stone County, City of Wiggins, Emergency Operations and E-911, city engineer, county engineer, fire department, police and sheriff’s department, American Red Cross, Stone County Schools, Mississippi Power Company, electric power associations, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Stone County Hospital, rural water systems, Pat Harrison Waterway District (Flint Creek Waterpark), DeSoto National Forest and Wiggins Planning/Zoning. Members were appointed based on knowledge/activities beneficial to the development of the plan and representation across the county/city. Specifically, each jurisdiction participating in the planning process, Stone County and the City of Wiggins brought their assessment of risks and actions required for their specific jurisdictional needs. For non-participating jurisdictions, which include Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, the rural water systems—Sunflower Rural Water System, Stone Utility System, McHenry Rural Water System, Flint Creek Water System, and New Zion Water System—and Saucier Business Improvement Association (adjoining community in Harrison County), rural fire departments and the County’s Economic Development Partnership, outreach with personal interviews and group meetings were conducted to ensure risk/actions of these jurisdictions were included. During post-Katrina planning efforts the following plans were developed; the FEMA ESF-14 Long-term Community Recovery Plan, post-Katrina Stone County Strategic Plan, and Comprehensive Development Plan City of Wiggins. Incorporation of Existing Plans, Studies and Reports Stone County has been engaged in a number of planning activities over the past three years which resulted in significant timely information and public participation for the development of post-Katrina planning. Plans, studies, reports and technical information incorporated from county and city activities include:
Assessment of Damage According to the Stone County Emergency Management Agency, damage assessment in Stone County/City of Wiggins resulting from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 included:
With over 400 homes, mobile homes, apartments and buildings destroyed or having major damage and another 1,581 structures having minor damage from Hurricane Katrina, the vulnerability to hurricane impact is high and well documented. Hurricane Katrina caused major damage to trees and structures throughout the county/city. The debris resulting from the damage totaled over 1.8 million cubic yards and took ten months to remove from public and private property at a cost of approximately $29 million. A Stone County Damage Assessment Map, dated September 24, 2005 and a Disaster Relief Status map locating fire stations and schools are included as Figure 1 and 2. Figure 1. Stone County Damage Assessment Map 
List of Hazards by Priority
INDIVIDUAL TARGET BASIC VULNERABILITY SUMMARY
Of the 20 critical facility sites identified, all are vulnerable to the impact of hurricanes and thunderstorms. With the exception of sites 1, 4 and 20, all are vulnerable to tornadoes. Flooding events could impact sites 1 and 20. Wildfires could impact sites 1, 3, 7, 8, 11 and 16.
Land Use: Stone County is a rural area, with rolling forests and farmland and sparse settlements. A large majority of the land in Stone County is considered as forest/timber or agricultural land that is undeveloped. Federal lands also occupy another large percentage of the remaining land with DeSoto National Forest arcing from the north and east and along the south portions of the county. Most residential development outside of Wiggins city limits consists of farmsteads and rural residences which extends from the city limits along the county’s major road corridors. Several subdivisions have been developed in the unincorporated areas of the county and several more are underway or in the planning stage. Development Trends: In the recent population projection study, residential development and growth patterns were analyzed. The study based projections on historical data, U.S. Postal Service route data and information on subdivision plats filed with the Stone County Board of Supervisors. According to the study, housing developments currently under development or planned for development includes approximately 5,000 acres, primarily in the south central part of the county around McHenry. The developments are near the main transportation link to the coast, Highway 49 and Highway 67. Projections show the highest rate of growth will be in the southern part of the county to the east of Highway 49. This area is near the community of McHenry and Sunflower. Growth in this area will be concentrated in the area within about 7 miles of the highway, between Wire Road and East McHenry Road. The next highest rate of growth is projected to be near McHenry on the west side of Highway 49. Similar to the east side of the highway, growth will be focused on the area near the highway. By 2020, the population surrounding McHenry will be similar to that in the northern part of the county around Wiggins. There will also be some growth in near Perkinston. The unincorporated areas of the county do not have sewer collection systems and have rural water systems that serve selected certificated areas. With a population growth projected at an annual rate of 20 percent over the next ten years, central sewer collection systems and water system upgrades are mitigation action strategies planned and were included in post-Katrina planning. Commercial development along Highway 49 and at the Highway 49-Highway 26 interchange in the western section of Wiggins has seen considerable growth with the addition of Wal-Mart, strip malls, convenience stores, and eleven restaurants. The growth has been primarily on the eastern side of Highway 49. The recent acquisition by a developer of a 100+ acre tract of land on the western side of Highway 49 across from Wal-Mart will soon be developed. Water and sewer infrastructure is not available in the area. In addition, the City of Wiggins’ sewer lagoon on the west side is over capacity. The City has developed plans to divert sewer from the west side to the east lagoon where capacity is available. The City of Wiggins and Stone County continue to work to grow their community, recover from disaster, and move on with their lives. The psychological damage from the storm will far outlast the physical. Even though debris was removed, there is evidence of the storm, but none as vivid as in the minds of residents. Some saw the devastation as a chance to re-grow the community into a bigger and better Wiggins, a bigger and better Stone County; however, much to the dismay of the city and county, some residents could not let go of what was, and was not the least bit interested in recovery. For the new residents who lost their homes on the coast, Stone County was a new start, but the pain and devastation of that dreaded August day will stay in the hearts of all who experienced for years to come.
A picture is worth 1,000 words; this piece of art depicts the recovery effort in Stone County immediately following Katrina. While it shows the damage, it also shows how a community picks up the pieces.
Stone County/Wiggins Existing Land Use Study. Neel Schaffer. 2006.
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