Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 212

Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan
Natural Hazard – a naturally occurring event or physical condition that has the potential to cause fatalities, injuries,
property and infrastructure damage, agricultural loss, damage to the environment, interruption of business, or other
types of harm or loss” (Rhode Island State Hazard Mitigation Plan 2014).
Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) – is a plan to identify local policies and actions that can be implemented
over the long term to reduce risk and future losses from natural hazards.
Natural Resources – are the state’s environmental and ecological assets; the land, water, plants and animals that
sustain us and enhance our quality of life. Planning for natural resources means planning for natural resource
protection, including conservation, quality protection measures and improved development practices.
Neighborhood – is generally a localized geographic area used to describe a sub-area of a community that has
common character such as natural or historic character or is tied to a common local landmark, such as a church,
school, or other asset.
Non-Renewable Energy Resource – is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural
means on a level equal to its consumption. Most fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas and coal are considered
nonrenewable resources in that their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of years.
Nor’easter – is a wind driven storms that typically occurs along the eastern coast of the United States.

Poverty – The U.S. Census Bureau determines Poverty status by comparing annual income to a set of dollar values
called poverty thresholds that vary by family size, number of children and age of householder. If a family's before tax
money income is less than the dollar value of their threshold, then that family and every individual in it are
considered to be in poverty. For people not living in families, poverty status is determined by comparing the
individual's income to his or her poverty threshold.
The poverty thresholds are updated annually to allow for changes in the cost of living using the Consumer Price Index
(CPI-U). They do not vary geographically. The ACS is a continuous survey and people respond throughout the year.
Since income is reported for the previous 12 months, the appropriate poverty threshold for each family is determined
by multiplying the base-year poverty threshold (1982) by the average of monthly CPI values for the 12 months
proceeding the survey month. Source: quickfacts.census.gov.
Public Housing – the Newport Housing Authority, in cooperation with HUD, maintains public housing for
low/moderate-income families and for elderly and differently abled individuals. Rents are set at 30 percent of a
resident's household income and are adjusted annually.
Recyclables – material(s) that still have useful physical or chemical properties after serving their original purpose and
that can be reused or remanufactured into additional products, thereby serving as substitutes for raw materials.
Renewable Energy Resource – is a resource of economic value that can be readily replaced, a source that is not
depleted when used, such as biomass, wind, hydroelectric, solar or tidal power.
Resiliency – Resiliency in the context of natural hazards is the ability of a system or place to withstand or adapt and
recover from, the impacts of a storm or other natural event. Coastal communities like Newport are placing more
emphasis on resiliency in order to avoid the human and financial costs associated with natural hazards, particularly
coastal storms.

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Draft Existing Conditions (March 2016)