Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Washington
Washington isn’t graded for hazard risk: Washington has 526 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Washington faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Washington flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Washington. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Washington isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Berkshire County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Washington
Disasters that paid out in Washington itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Washington), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$9K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene3 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$25K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$116K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$231K to the Town of Washington for repairs
Show all 10
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$8K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2003Snow$3K to the Town of Washington for repairs
- 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Washington for repairs
Berkshire County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Washington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Washington archive →Washington and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenox | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Hinsdale | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Becket | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Dalton | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Pittsfield | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 75 |
| Lee | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Peru | — | 630 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Middlefield | — | 352 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Washington faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Washington
Is Washington in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Berkshire County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Washington?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Washington’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Washington?
By FEMA money that reached Washington, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $231K to the Town of Washington for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Washington.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Washington’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.