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2021 Multijurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Definitions/Acronyms cyber-terrorism—An attempt to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to a computer, computer system or electronic communications network. dam failure—An uncontrolled release of impounded water due to a partial or complete breach in a dam (or levee) that impacts its integrity. dam—Any artificial barrier or controlling mechanism that can or does impound or divert water. DART—Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis debris flow—Dense mixtures of water-saturated debris that move down-valley, looking and behaving much like flowing concrete. They form when loose masses of unconsolidated material are saturated, become unstable, and move down slope. The source of water varies but includes rainfall, melting snow or ice, and glacial outburst floods. DEM—Department of Emergency Management DFIRM—Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map DHS—Department of Homeland Security Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA; Public Law 106-390)— The latest federal legislation enacted to encourage and promote proactive, pre-disaster planning as a condition of receiving certain federal financial assistance. drought—The cumulative impacts of long periods of dry weather. These can include deficiencies in surface and subsurface water supplies and general impacts on health, well-being, and quality of life. DSOD—Division of Safety of Dams (California state agency) EAP—emergency action plan earthquake—The shaking of the ground caused by an abrupt shift of rock along a fracture in the earth or a contact zone between tectonic plates. Ecology—the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Ecosystem Services— An ecosystem service is any positive benefit that wildlife or ecosystems provide to people. The benefits can be direct or indirect—small or large. EPA—Environmental Protection Agency Epidemic—The spread of an infectious disease beyond a local population, reaching people in a wider geographical area. Several factors determine whether an outbreak will become an epidemic: the ease with which the disease spreads from vectors, such as animals, to people, and the ease with which it spreads from person to person. Equity—the absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically, racially, or geographically. Equity Lens—The purpose of an equity lens is to be deliberately inclusive as an organization makes decisions. It introduces a set of questions into the decision that help the decision makers focus on equity in both their process and outcomes. EPA—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ESA—Endangered Species Act exposure—Exposure is defined as the number and dollar value of assets considered to be at risk during the occurrence of a specific hazard. extent—The extent is the size or location of an area affected by a hazard. For hazards that do not have a clearly defined extent, this definition expands to the strength or magnitude (severity) of the hazard. For hazards in this plan that do not have mapping, extent is addressed by the severity discussion of the hazard profile. extreme cold—Temperatures from winter storms associated with freezing rain, sleet, snow and strong winds that may cause hypothermia or frostbite. extreme heat—Temperatures that hover 10 ºF or more above the average high temperature for a region and last for several days. extreme wind—A windstorm featuring violent winds, generally of short-duration involving straight-line winds or gusts over 50 mph, strong enough to cause property damage. FBI—Federal Bureau of Investigation federal disaster declaration—Declarations for events that cause more damage than state and local governments and resources can handle without federal government assistance. A federal disaster declaration puts into motion long-term federal recovery programs, some of which are matched by state programs, to help disaster victims, businesses, and public entities. FEMA—Federal Emergency Management Agency FERC—Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FHSZ—Fire Hazard Severity Zone flash flood—A flash flood occurs with little or no warning when water levels rise at an extremely fast rate Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)—The official maps on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency delineate the Special Flood Hazard Area. Flood Insurance Study—A report published by the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration for a community in conjunction with the community’s Flood Insurance rate Map. The study contains such background data as the base flood discharges and water surface elevations that were used to prepare the FIRM. In most cases, a community FIRM with detailed mapping will have a corresponding flood insurance study. floodplain—The land area along the sides of a river that becomes inundated with water during a flood. xiv