Vulnerability Assessment: Jefferson County

Overview

The Resilient Florida Grant Program has provided Jefferson County as well as Dixie and Taylor County, a planning grant to produce the Tri-County Vulnerability Assessment. This grant was designed to to help prepare the included communities for current and future impacts of intensified storms, flooding events and sea level rise. The study is being completed through a partnership between the counties, the University of Florida and Locklear. 

A vulnerability assessment helps a community measure potential impacts from flooding and sea level rise as well as identify structures, infrastructure, citizens, and natural resources that may be affected.  This assessment is focused specifically on impacts to community assets. Through this project, the community will be better informed of the potential loss or damage to critical community assets. 

Locklear is currently compiling “critical assets,” which are locations/infrastructure important to the community. The current data inventory of critical assets is being performed through Geospatial Mapping Software (GIS), a system that creates, analyzes and maps different types of data.

This study invites the public to give feedback on the compiled data and results of the study. Local knowledge provided by the community will help customize the model to show locations the community has determined to be critical as well as locations currently experiencing flooding problems.

“Critical assets” describe locations important to the community. Assets are broken down into the following categories:

• Community & Emergency Assets like Schools, Fire Stations, Law Enforcement Facilities, Affordable Housing, Medical Services;

• Critical Infrastructure like Drinking Water Facilities, Solid & Hazardous Waste Facilities;

• Natural, Cultural, and Historical Resources like Churches, Cemeteries, Parks and Conservation Areas;

• and Transportation Infrastructure like Roads and Bridges.

The County and Locklear believe this project will be helpful in the planning of future flooding as well as determining the most critical locations within the community for improvements.

RESOURCES

Below is a list of resources regarding further information on the project: