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<br />1 <br />Chapter 2. <br />Unincorporated Kittitas County Annex <br /> <br />2.1. HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN POINT OF CONTACT <br />Primary Point of Contact Alternate Point of Contact <br />Karen Hodges <br />Department of Public Works <br />411 N Ruby Street, Suite 1 <br />Ellensburg, WA 98926 <br />Telephone: 509-962-7523 <br />Email: karen.hodges@co.kittitas.wa.us <br />Mark Cook, Director <br />Department of Public Works <br />411 N Ruby Street, Suite 1 <br />Ellensburg, WA 98926 <br />Telephone: 509-962-7523 <br />Email: mark.cook@co.kittitas.wa.us <br />2.2. JURISDICTION PROFILE <br />The following is a summary of key information about Kittitas County and its history: <br />Date of Incorporation— November 1883. <br />Current Population— The population of Kittitas County was 46,205 as of July 1st, 2017 based on <br />the US Census population estimates. <br />Population Growth— Kittitas County was the fifth fastest growing county based on populations <br />in the 2000 and 2010 census, with a growth rate of 2.3 percent. Between 2010 and 2017, Kittitas <br />County experienced a 1.8 percent growth rate. <br />Location and Description— Kittitas County is located in the center of Washington State. It is <br />bounded to the west by the crest of the Cascade Range, separating Kittitas County from the <br />Seattle/Puget Sound region. It is bounded to the north by the Wenatchee National Forest and <br />Alpine Lakes Wilderness region. The eastern boundary is the Columbia River, separating <br />Kittitas County and the agricultural lands of the Columbia Plateau region. Its southern <br />boundary is the urban and agricultural region of the Yakima Valley. The county has a total area <br />of 2,333 square miles, 36 square miles of which is water. <br /> Kittitas County has a diverse landscape, ranging from forested Alpine Lakes Wilderness and <br />snow-capped Cascade Mountains in the north and west areas of the County to the scabland and <br />cliff-lined canyons of the Columbia River and Yakima River in the east and south areas. In the <br />valleys are rich farmlands that produce the County’s largest cash crop-timothy hay. Timothy <br />hay is grown commercially by estimated 200-250 farmers on 25,000 to 30,000 acres of land at <br />an estimated annual value of more than $30 million. <br />Jurisdiction Vulnerability to Hazards— Unincorporated Kittitas County has an overall low <br />vulnerability to avalanche, drought, and volcano hazards, and an overall high vulnerability to <br />severe weather events. While many areas of Unincorporated Kittitas County are exposed to an <br />avalanche hazard, vulnerability is relatively low due to minimal development in the Cascade <br />Range. Based on the three dam failure scenarios used in this plan, 10% of the population and <br />6% of property is at risk of dam failure. The area has high exposure to earthquakes, and various <br />earthquake scenarios result in losses up to 3% of building value. Unincorporated Kittitas <br />County has 772 buildings (5% of assessed building value) located in the 100- or 500-year <br />floodplain, and therefore a moderate vulnerability to flood events. It is the only jurisdiction <br />within Kittitas County with buildings exposed to Landslide Hazard Areas. 365 buildings are <br />exposed, which represent 3.6% of the area’s assessed value. The areas also has a high <br />vulnerability to wildfires, with 34% of buildings exposed to the 0-30 Year Fire Interval.