FEMA puts Blackbird Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blackbird Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then wildfire (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Blackbird Township 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
Wildfire
Tornadoes
Hail
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.
What’s behind Blackbird Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blackbird Township, and Blackbird Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Blackbird Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Blackbird Township: $540K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Blackbird Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Blackbird Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
The storms Blackbird Township remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Thurston County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Blackbird Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Thurston County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Blackbird Township and its neighbors
Blackbird Township is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Blackbird Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Winnebago Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Anderson Township | — | 90 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 Blackbird Township 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.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Blackbird Township
Is Blackbird Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blackbird Township has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and wildfire (16%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Blackbird Township 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.
How much is flood insurance in Blackbird Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blackbird Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Blackbird Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Blackbird Township’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blackbird Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blackbird Township’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.