Photo: incommunicado · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Boring as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boring gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then earthquakes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1996.
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 Boring 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 Boring’s grade
River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Boring, and Boring’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 41% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Boring’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1,000K a year in losses across Boring: $760K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Boring flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Boring, from FEMA’s records: 11.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Boring isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clackamas County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Boring
Disasters that paid out in Boring itself (aid to households or repair grants to Boring), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Wildfires and Straight-line Winds18 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Clackamas County has had 15 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Clackamas County, 2014–2022.
Old photos of Boring after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Boring archive →Boring and its neighbors
Boring has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boring | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Damascus | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
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 Boring 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 Boring
Is Boring at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boring has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and earthquakes (41%). 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.
Does Boring flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Boring since 1996, $170K in all, or 11.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Boring 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 Clackamas County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Boring?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Boring’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 Boring?
By FEMA money that reached Boring, Wildfires and Straight-line Winds (2020): 18 households applied for aid, $2K approved.
Is Boring at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Boring’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Boring.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Boring’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.