Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Barton
Barton isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Barton yet.
What Barton 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
Strong wind
Wildfire
Tornadoes
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 Barton flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Barton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Barton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pierce County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Barton
Disasters that paid out in Barton itself (aid to households or repair grants to Barton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
Pierce County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Barton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Barton archive →Get ready for what Barton 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Barton
Is Barton 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 Pierce County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Barton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Barton’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 Barton?
By FEMA money that reached Barton, Severe Storms and Flooding (2009): 2 households applied for aid, $15K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Barton’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.