Photo: Kingofthedead · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Bethany than in 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #7 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (45%). 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 Bethany 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
Earthquakes
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 Bethany’s grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethany, and Bethany’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 45% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #7 of 142 in Oregon; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bethany’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bethany has less expected damage per building than 96% of Oregon towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.4M a year in losses across Bethany: $6.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethany flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bethany. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bethany 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.The storms Bethany remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bethany itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Bethany and its neighbors
Bethany has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Cedar Mill | Bless damage than 57% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Oak Hills | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Bethany 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Bethany
Is Bethany at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #7 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Bethany 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 Bethany?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethany’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bethany at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Bethany’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethany.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethany’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.