Jacob Conser House · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Jefferson than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #108 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (70%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1979.
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 Jefferson faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Jefferson’s grade
Earthquakes are 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jefferson, and Jefferson’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 29% (lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #108 of 142 in Oregon; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jefferson’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Jefferson has more expected damage per building than 76% of Oregon towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Jefferson: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jefferson flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jefferson, from FEMA’s records: 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Jefferson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Marion County.The storms Jefferson remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Marion County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jefferson itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19963 flood claims paidThe year of High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Marion County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Marion County has had 10 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Marion County, 2020–2023.
Old photos of Jefferson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jefferson archive →Get ready for what Jefferson faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Jefferson
Is Jefferson at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #108 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (70%) and river and rain flooding (29%). 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 Jefferson flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Jefferson since 1979, $44K in all, or 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Jefferson 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 Marion County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Jefferson?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jefferson’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Jefferson at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Jefferson’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jefferson.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jefferson’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.