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CHAPTER 11. FLOOD <br />11-7 <br />– 10.81 ft on 06/03/1913 <br />– 11.87 ft on 11/24/1909 <br />– 14.58 ft on 11/14/1906 <br />Examining damages from past flooding events provides an understanding of the potential damages that can <br />be caused by flooding. The most recent floods on the Yakima River were in May 2017, December 2015, <br />January 2015, and May 2014. During many historical floods developments adjacent to the Yakima and <br />Teanaway Rivers had to be evacuated. In November 1995, the estimated water level of the Yakima River <br />was at 34 feet. This flood threatened the SR 970 and Lambert Road bridges over the Teanaway River and <br />broke through dikes on both rivers, damaging both private and public property. During the February 1996 <br />flood, private property and county roads and bridges were damaged throughout the valley, including, but <br />not limited to, the Manastash, Swauk, Taneum, and lower Badger Pocket areas. A total of 22 bridges <br />sustained damage in the county, in addition to approximately 120 road damage sites. Figure 11-2 shows a <br />home in West Ellensburg after the 2011 flood events. Table 11-1 summarizes flood events in the planning <br />area since 1955. Since 1964, ten presidential-declared flood events in the county have caused in excess of <br />$20 million in property damage. <br />Table 11-1. Kittitas County Flood Events <br />Date Declaration # Type of event Estimated Damagea <br />12/29/1964 DR-185 Heavy Rains & Flooding $130,000 <br />06/10/1972 -- Flooding – Hail – Severe Storm/Thunder Storm a $10,000 <br />12/13/1975 DR-492 Severe Storms, Flooding N/A <br />12/10/1977 DR-545 Severe storms, Mudslides, Flooding N/A <br />07/25/1987 -- Flooding – Lightning a $5,000 <br />08/21/1990 -- Flooding a $11,500 <br />11/26/1990 DR-883 Flooding, Severe Storms N/A <br />01/03/1996 DR-1079 Storms/High Winds/Floods Over $23 million <br />statewide <br />02/09/1996 DR-1100 Severe Storms/Flooding Over $33 million <br />statewide <br />01/17/1997 DR-1159 Severe Winter Storms/Flooding N/A <br />05/04/2004 -- Flash flooding a $90,000 <br />01/30/2009 DR-1817 Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and <br />Flooding $10,000,000 <br />03/25/2011 DR-1963 Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and <br />Mudslides (see Figure 11-2) $4,000,000 <br />01/15/2016 DR-4249 Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, <br />Landslides, and Mudslides N/A <br />a. Data obtained from Spatial Hazard Events and Losses Database for the United States (SHELDUS) <br />N/A = Information is not available <br />