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