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<br />1 <br />Chapter 6. <br />Town of South Cle Elum <br /> <br />6.1. HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN POINT OF CONTACT <br />Primary Point of Contact Alternate Point of Contact <br />Jim DeVere, Mayor <br />P.O. Box 160 <br />South Cle Elum, WA 98943 <br />Telephone: (509) 674-4322 <br />Email: cjdevere@msn.com <br />Scott McKenzie, Superintendent <br />P.O. Box 160 <br />South Cle Elum, WA 98943 <br />Telephone: (509) 674-4322 <br />Email: sce@inlandnet.com <br />6.2. JURISDICTION PROFILE <br />The following is a summary of key information about the jurisdiction and its history: <br />– Date of Incorporation—August 20, 1911 <br />– Current Population—575 as of 2011 <br />– Population Growth—The population in the Town of South Cle Elum (Town) increased <br />21 percent between 2000 and 2010, averaging 2.32 percent per year. Based on the American <br />Community Survey estimates, the population of the Town decreased from 532 in 2010 to 524 <br />in 2016. Future population growth is limited by remaining available water connections. <br />– Location and Description—South Cle Elum is bordered on the north by the Yakima River <br />and the City of Cle Elum. Interstate 90 is also to the north. Unincorporated Kittitas County <br />surrounds the Town to the east, south and west. Mt. Peoh is to the south, Lookout Mountain is <br />to the east, Mt. Stuart is to the north and the Cascades are to the west. The Iron Horse State <br />Park and the John Wayne Trail run along the Town’s southern border. <br />– Jurisdiction Vulnerability to Hazards— South Cle Elum, along with all jurisdictions in <br />Kittitas County, has an overall low vulnerability to avalanche, drought, landslide, and volcano <br />hazards, and an overall high vulnerability to severe weather events. Based on the three dam <br />failure scenarios used in this plan, 95% of South Cle Elum’s population and 98% of property <br />is at risk of dam failure. South Cle Elum has high exposure to earthquakes, and various <br />earthquake scenarios result in losses up to 10% of building value. South Cle Elum has 61 <br />buildings (25% of assessed building value) located in the 100- or 500-year floodplain, and <br />therefore a high vulnerability to flooding. South Cle Elum has moderate vulnerability to <br />wildfires, with 5% of buildings exposed to the 0-30 Year Fire Interval. <br />– Brief History—South Cle Elum was initially developed to serve the Milwaukee Railroad. In <br />mid-1909, the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound Railway chose Cle Elum as a division point <br />between the Coast and Columbia divisions on its future transcontinental line—first as a water, <br />fuel and crew change location, and later as a full service repair shop, complete with roundhouse. <br />After electrification, a substation was added. The population during this time was split between <br />railroaders, coal miners and loggers. When the Milwaukee Railroad went into receivership in <br />the late 1970s, the State of Washington converted the right-of-way into a state park. <br />– Climate—Located between the Cascade Mountains and the plains of central Washington, the <br />Town of South Cle Elum enjoys four distinct seasons. The seasons are tempered by the Town’s <br />elevation at close to 2,000 feet above sea level. Summers are usually dry and warm to hot, with