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2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan <br />Kittitas County, Washington <br /> <br /> <br />Chapter 4: Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment 209 <br />are disrupted, this population will be unable to call for assistance if needed. Additionally, power outages <br />can be life threatening to those dependent on electricity for life support. <br /> <br />Effects of Climate Change in Severity of Impacts: Future projections indicate that there will be an <br />overall decrease in snow depth and snow cover duration at lower elevations, but the probability of <br />occurrence of significant snow precipitation events is expected to remain the same.271F <br />272 According to <br />Climate Central, the average winter temperatures in the Pacific Northwest have increased approximately <br />1° F since 1970.272F <br />273 <br />4.6.10.7. FEMA NRI Expected Annual Loss Estimates <br />A winter weather NRI EAL score, and rating represent a community's relative level of expected building, <br />population, and agriculture loss each year due to winter weather when compared to the rest of the United <br />States. The EAL score is positively associated to a community’s risk; therefore, a higher EAL score results <br />in a higher Risk Index score. Table 4-161 outlines the winter weather EAL for Kittitas County. <br />Table 4-161. Winter Weather Expected Annual Loss (FEMA National Risk Index) <br />Jurisdiction Population <br />Equivalence <br />Building <br />Value <br />Agriculture <br />Value <br />Total <br />Expected <br />Annual <br />Loss <br />Expected <br />Annual <br />Loss <br />Score <br />Rating <br />Kittitas County $27,961 $3,821 $1,059 $32,842 41.3 Relatively <br />Moderate <br />Expected annual loss scores are calculated utilizing an equation that combines values for exposure, annualized frequency, and historic loss <br />ratios (Expected Annual Loss = Exposure x Annualized Frequency x Historic Loss Ratio). <br /> <br />An ice storm NRI EAL score, and rating represent a community's relative level of expected building and <br />population loss each year due to ice storms when compared to the rest of the United States. The EAL <br />score is positively associated to a community’s risk; therefore, a higher EAL score results in a higher Risk <br />Index score. Table 4-162 outlines the ice storm EAL for Kittitas County. <br />Table 4-162. Ice Storm Expected Annual Loss (FEMA National Risk Index) <br />Jurisdiction Population <br />Equivalence <br />Building <br />Value <br />Agriculture <br />Value <br />Total <br />Expected <br />Annual <br />Loss <br />Expected <br />Annual <br />Loss <br />Score <br />Rating <br />Kittitas County $657 $63 n/a $720 2.5 Very Low <br />Expected annual loss scores are calculated utilizing an equation that combines values for exposure, annualized frequency, and historic loss <br />ratios (Expected Annual Loss = Exposure x Annualized Frequency x Historic Loss Ratio). <br />4.6.10.8. Winter Weather Risk Index Scores <br />The winter weather Risk Index score and rating represent a community's relative risk for winter weather <br />when compared to the rest of the United States. Table 4-163 illustrates the winter weather Risk Index <br />rating and score for Kittitas County. <br /> <br />272 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2019). Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a <br />Changing Climate: High Mountain Areas (Chapter 2). Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/chapter/chapter- <br />2/. <br />273 Climate Change. (2019). Winter Warming. Retrieved from https://www.climatecentral.org/climate- <br />matters/winter-warming.