Resolution_2025 Kittitas County Hazard Mitigation Plan

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2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan Kittitas County, Washington Chapter 5: Mitigation Strategy 219 • Floodplain Mapping and Data • Wildfire Severity Mapping and Data • Wildland Urban Interface Code • Open Space Preservation • Floodplain Regulations • Critical Area Regulations • Erosion Setbacks • Planning and Zoning • Stormwater Management • Drainage System Maintenance • Building Code • Shaded Firebreaks Steering Committee Discussion: Prevention is a mitigation strategy incorporated in this planning document and considered for specific mitigation measures, as applicable. This Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies several regulations that address development risk in high hazard areas. • Section 3.9.1 of this Plan identifies pertinent planning and regulatory mechanisms, and Table 3- 18 identifies legal and regulatory capabilities at the local level. • Section 3.11 of this Plan identifies that all five (5) incorporated municipalities and Unincorporated Kittitas County participate in the NFIP and outlines details about NFIP participation activities. The NFIP, along with Critical Area Regulations provide the regulatory context for flood risk to be considered during land use decisions and set heightened building standards for areas identified as SFHA. These regulatory tools are most effective when flood risk is well documented in the FIRMs and flood risk throughout Unincorporated Kittitas County is often not well documented in FIRMs. In many areas, flood risk was identified decades ago, utilizing approximate methods. Additionally, these flood risk maps do not effectively represent changes in risk over time (e.g., either channel migration, alluvial fan migration). Furthermore, the Flood Control Zone District has conducted and utilized reach scale river flood assessments to inform acquisition priorities given channel migration and flood risk. Current land use planning efforts are examining critical areas and SFHA information to inform buildable land inventories. Among the six (6) highest ranking hazards, the Steering Committee identified prevention activities, as appropriate, for the following hazards – wildfire, earthquake, and flood (Table 5-2). 5.2.2. Property Protection Property protection activities are usually undertaken by property owners on a building by building or parcel basis. Examples include: • Relocation • Acquisition • Building Elevation • Retrofitting (e.g., flood, earthquakes, wildfire) • Property Management • Firewise Landscaping • Sewer Backup Protection • Insurance Steering Committee Discussion: Relocation and retrofit of at-risk public infrastructure, strategic land acquisitions, the development of repetitive flood loss area plans, and education to inform landowners about retrofit and insurance options are actions plan participants can take. As described in Section 3.11