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Extreme Temperatures <br />(1) Freezing Temperatures <br />Florida has experienced many severe freezes that have <br />resulted in the loss of the majority of winter crops. <br />Freezes pose a major hazard to the agriculture industry <br />in Indian River County and are a significant threat to its <br />economic vitality. According to the Department of <br />Agriculture and Consumer Services, moderate freezes <br />occur every one to two years in the state. Severe <br />freezes may be expected on an average of once every <br />15 to 20 years (Florida Department of Community <br />Affairs, 1998). Since December 1889, there have been <br />at least 22 recorded severe freezes (Florida Department <br />of Community Affairs); the most recent being in 1996, <br />when a Presidential Disaster Declaration was issued for <br />crop losses exceeding $90 billion. During this event, <br />there was extensive loss of citrus trees throughout the <br />state and the majority has not been replanted. <br />Freezing conditions primarily affect agriculture and <br />homeless indigents. When conditions are predicted to <br />be below freezing, shelters may be opened. <br />(2) Extreme Heat <br />Temperatures that remain 10°F or more above the <br />average high temperature for a region and last for <br />several weeks are defined as extreme heat (Federal <br />Emergency Management Agency, 1996). Humid <br />conditions, which add to the discomfort of high <br />temperatures, occur when an area of high atmospheric <br />pressure traps hazy, damp air near the ground. The <br />highest temperature ever recorded in the state was on <br />June 29, 1931 at 103°F in Monticello at an elevation of <br />207 ft (NCDC, 1996). In a normal year, approximately <br />175 Americans die of extreme heat. However, in 1995 <br />the death toll was 1,021 (National Oceanic Atmospheric <br />Administration, 1997). <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 16 <br />