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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Gladstone · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Gladstone faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gladstone gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #87 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then earthquakes (32%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 65%Earthquakes 32%Strong wind 2%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#87 of 142 in Oregon
Hazard risk
C−#87 of 142
in Oregon · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
65% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1996 · $152K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 15 declared for Clackamas County
By hazard

What Gladstone 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

65%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

32%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
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
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 8% of Gladstone’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Gladstone’s grade

River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gladstone, and Gladstone’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 32% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Gladstone sits
Gladstone
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #87 of 142 in Oregon; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Gladstone’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding65%Earthquakes32%Everything else3%

The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Gladstone has more expected damage per building than 61% of Oregon towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.4M a year in losses across Gladstone: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Gladstone covers 6 census tracts, combined by where 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 Gladstone flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gladstone, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 7 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199619972005
19962026
11
paid claims since 1996
$152K
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

Gladstone 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.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gladstone

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storm$107K to the City of Gladstone for repairs
  2. 2020Wildfires and Straight-line Winds41 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  3. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$3K to the City of Gladstone for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GladstoneClackamas County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Gladstone archive →
Next door

Gladstone and its neighbors

Gladstone is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Oatfield: hazard risk B−Jennings Lodge: hazard risk C−Oregon City: hazard risk C+West Linn: hazard risk C+OatfieldJennings LodgeOregon CityWest LinnGladstone
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
OatfieldB−less damage than 53%earthquakes12
Oregon CityC+more damage than 62%earthquakes18
West LinnC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding43
Jennings LodgeC−more damage than 75%river and rain flooding11
GladstoneC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding11

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 Gladstone faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Gladstone

Is Gladstone at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gladstone has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #87 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and earthquakes (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Gladstone flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Gladstone since 1996, $152K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Gladstone 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 Gladstone?

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

By FEMA money that reached Gladstone, Severe Winter Storm (2021): $107K to the City of Gladstone for repairs.

Is Gladstone at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Gladstone’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gladstone.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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