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Mount Scott and Happy ValleyPhoto: Esprqii · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Happy Valley · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Happy Valley faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Happy Valley gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #19 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then earthquakes (34%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015.

River and rain flooding 62%Earthquakes 34%Strong wind 3%

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

less than 58%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#19 of 142 in Oregon
Hazard risk
B#19 of 142
in Oregon · lower than 58% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2015 · $8K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 15 declared for Clackamas County
By hazard

What Happy Valley 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

62%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

34%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% 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 11% of Happy Valley’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 Happy Valley’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Happy Valley, and Happy Valley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 34% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Happy Valley sits
Happy Valley
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #19 of 142 in Oregon; lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Happy Valley’s residents live in 10 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Earthquakes34%Strong wind3%Everything else1%

The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Happy Valley has less expected damage per building than 87% of Oregon towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.9M a year in losses across Happy Valley: $5.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 10 census tracts by where Happy Valley’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 Happy Valley flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Happy Valley, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2015
20152026
1
paid claims since 2015
$8K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Happy Valley 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

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Happy Valley

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

  1. 2024Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Landslides, and Mudslides$20K to the City of Happy Valley for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storm$71K to the City of Happy Valley for repairs
  3. 2020Wildfires and Straight-line Winds54 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$3K to the City of Happy Valley for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm, Record and Near Record Snow$44K to the City of Happy Valley for repairs
  5. 2003Severe Winter Storms$7K to the City of Happy Valley for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Happy ValleyClackamas 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 Happy Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Happy Valley archive →
Next door

Happy Valley and its neighbors

Happy Valley has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Damascus: hazard risk C+Portland: hazard risk CDamascusPortlandHappy Valley
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Happy ValleyBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding1
DamascusC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding20
PortlandCmore damage than 69%earthquakes167

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 Happy Valley 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 Happy Valley

Is Happy Valley at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Happy Valley has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #19 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and earthquakes (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Happy Valley flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Happy Valley since 2015, $8K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Happy Valley 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 Happy Valley?

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

By FEMA money that reached Happy Valley, Severe Winter Storm (2021): $71K to the City of Happy Valley for repairs.

Is Happy Valley at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Happy Valley’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Happy Valley.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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