Washington County/Johnson City, Tennessee

Community Profile:

Settled during the time of the American Revolution, Washington County is located in the Great Valley, a region of parallel ridges and fertile valleys in the Appalachians extending from Virginia to Alabama. An early route for trading and settlement at the far eastern corner of Tennessee, the County is home to the oldest town in the State, Jonesborough, the birthplace of Davy Crockett. Johnson City, the County seat, is a growing progressive community that is home to more than half the County's 100,000 residents. Two nearby cities are Kingsport and Bristol, which adjoin the Virginia State line. Together with Johnson City, they form Tennessee's Tri-Cities Region.

Johnson City is home to East Tennessee State University, with an enrollment of over 11,000, and the state-of-the-art Quillen School of Medicine. The medical school together with the Veteran's Administration Medical Center and Mountain Home, the Johnson City Medical Center, and a variety of other medical facilities, comprises a developing Med-Tech Corridor. A variety of high-tech industries provide a major employment base in the Tri-Cities Region, including Tennessee Eastman which produces plastic raw materials [in Kingsport], Nuclear Fuel Service [in Erwin], and Aerojet Ordnance, in Johnson City.

Disaster Risk:

Mountainous East Tennessee is subject to the expected natural hazards: flash flooding, severe storms, ice storms, and blizzards. The East Tennessee Seismic Zone encompasses the Appalachian Region, creating an often ignored and undervalued potential for social and economic disruption. Astride major north-south rail and highway routes, including Interstate 81 and 181, the region is vulnerable to hazardous materials incidents along these transportation arteries as well as at the major industrial plants. Interstate 26 is being extended across the mountains from Asheville, North Carolina, to I-181, in Johnson City, creating additional hazardous materials vulnerabilities.

Capacity for Public/Private Partnerships:

The Washington County/Johnson City Emergency Management Agency [EMA] is a progressive organization working closely with the award-winning Johnson City Fire Bureau and the innovative Bureau of Police. Strong working relationships have been developed with all adjacent counties. An excellent Comprehensive Emergency Operations and Management Plan has been developed and is tested and updated regularly. The Local Emergency Planning Committee [LEPC] actively addresses hazardous materials issues, provides an interdisciplinary forum for emergency management and hazard mitigation, and promotes business contingency planning.

Washington County/Johnson City proposes to start building on existing relationships to develop Project Impact/Mitigation partnerships with East Tennessee State University, the Johnson City MPO, the Economic Development Board,  health care institutions in the Med-Tech Corridor, and the three regional manufacturers mentioned above.

Existing Mitigation Activities:

Johnson City has an excellent building inspection program and is assisting Washington County in expanding their building codes from fire safety and electrical to include structural and plumbing as well. The City Fire Marshall recently became the Chief Building Official, and the EMA Director is a certified building inspector as well. Progressive development regulations addressing appearance and tree preservation and planting are being implemented as well. Both communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and Johnson City residents earn flood insurance premium reductions through the Community Rating System. Washington County/Johnson City has supported flood mitigation planning and buyout efforts in adjoining Carter County and the City of Elizabethton. It is anticipated that Project Impact will lead to development of a county-wide local hazard mitigation plan.

The EMA is actively working with the LEPC, counties within the MSA region, the Johnson City MPO, and the State of Tennessee to prepare for the opening of Interstate 26 and the additional hazardous materials shipments that will bring through the community.