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USACE Depoe Bay OregonPhoto: Bob Heims, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Depoe Bay · FEMA

FEMA puts Depoe Bay’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Depoe Bay gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (60%), then river and rain flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

Earthquakes 60%River and rain flooding 35%Tsunamis 4%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Oregon · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
60% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1979 · $5K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 19 declared for Lincoln County
By hazard

What Depoe Bay faces

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

Earthquakes

60%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

35%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tsunamis top 0% Coastal flooding Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesAvalanches

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 Depoe Bay’s grade

Earthquakes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Depoe Bay, and Depoe Bay’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 4%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Depoe Bay sits
Depoe Bay
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Depoe Bay’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes60%River and rain flooding35%Tsunamis4%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Depoe Bay: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Depoe Bay’s 1,515 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Depoe Bay flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Depoe Bay, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19791998
19792026
2
paid claims since 1979
$5K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lincoln County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Depoe Bay

Disasters that paid out in Depoe Bay itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Depoe Bay), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$11K to the City of Depoe Bay for repairs
  2. 2020Wildfires and Straight-line Winds7 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$37K to the City of Depoe Bay for repairs
  4. 2011Tsunami Wave Surge$185K to the City of Depoe Bay for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$3K to the City of Depoe Bay for repairs
  6. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$8K to the City of Depoe Bay for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Depoe BayLincoln County only

Lincoln County has had 19 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lincoln County, 2020–2020.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Depoe Bay archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Depoe Bay 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 Depoe Bay

Is Depoe Bay at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Depoe Bay has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (60%) and river and rain flooding (35%). 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 Depoe Bay flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Depoe Bay since 1979, $5K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Depoe Bay 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 Lincoln County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Depoe Bay?

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

By FEMA money that reached Depoe Bay, Tsunami Wave Surge (2011): $185K to the City of Depoe Bay for repairs.

Is Depoe Bay at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Depoe Bay’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Depoe Bay.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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