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Aloha Oregon tv hwyPhoto: M.O. Stevens · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Aloha · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Aloha than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aloha gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #61 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (52%), then river and rain flooding (46%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1994.

Earthquakes 52%River and rain flooding 46%

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

more than 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#61 of 142 in Oregon
Hazard risk
C+#61 of 142
in Oregon · higher than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
52% of expected building damage
Flood claims
17
paid since 1994 · $230K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 81% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Aloha faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

52%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

46%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Aloha’s grade

Earthquakes are 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Aloha, and Aloha’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 46% (lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Aloha sits
Aloha
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #61 of 142 in Oregon; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Aloha’s residents live in 15 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes52%River and rain flooding46%Everything else1%

The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Aloha has less expected damage per building than 57% of Oregon towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $15.3M a year in losses across Aloha: $10.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 15 census tracts by where Aloha’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Aloha flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aloha, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 5 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 1 claim2007: 1 claim2008: 1 claim2009: 2 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620092010
19942026
Biggest named events
  • The Winter storm2 claims · $32K
17
paid claims since 1994
$230K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Aloha isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

The storms Aloha remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Aloha itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19965 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and High Winds, declared for Washington County
  2. 20092 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 20102 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AlohaWashington County only

Washington County has had 11 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.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Washington County, 2020–2024.

Were you here?

Old photos of Aloha after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Aloha archive →
Next door

Aloha and its neighbors

Aloha is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hillsboro: hazard risk CBeaverton: hazard risk C+HillsboroBeavertonAloha
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BeavertonC+more damage than 62%earthquakes31
AlohaC+more damage than 65%earthquakes17
HillsboroCmore damage than 69%earthquakes11

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Aloha faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Aloha

Is Aloha at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aloha has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #61 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (52%) and river and rain flooding (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Aloha flood?

Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Aloha since 1994, $230K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Winter storm (2).

Is Aloha 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 Washington County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Aloha?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Aloha’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 Aloha?

By flood claims, Winter storm: 2 paid, $32K.

Is Aloha at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Aloha’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aloha.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Aloha’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.