Rice Brothers and Adams Building · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Myrtle Creek than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Myrtle Creek gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then wildfire (27%). Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 1981.
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 stands out about Myrtle Creek’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Myrtle Creek 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
Wildfire
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 Myrtle Creek’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Myrtle Creek, and Myrtle Creek’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 27%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #141 of 142 in Oregon; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Myrtle Creek’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Myrtle Creek has more expected damage per building than 99% of Oregon towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Myrtle Creek: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Myrtle Creek flood? Sometimes: 27 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Myrtle Creek, from FEMA’s records: 17.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Myrtle Creek isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Douglas County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Myrtle Creek
Disasters that paid out in Myrtle Creek itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Myrtle Creek), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$72K to the City of Myrtle Creek for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Douglas County has had 18 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 Douglas County, 2004–2020.
Old photos of Myrtle Creek after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Myrtle Creek archive →Myrtle Creek and its neighbors
Myrtle Creek is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-City | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Myrtle Creek | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Myrtle Creek 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Myrtle Creek
Is Myrtle Creek at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Myrtle Creek has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and wildfire (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Myrtle Creek flood?
Flood insurance has paid 27 claims in Myrtle Creek since 1981, $209K in all, or 17.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Myrtle Creek 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 Douglas County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Myrtle Creek?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Myrtle Creek’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 Myrtle Creek?
By FEMA money that reached Myrtle Creek, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): $72K to the City of Myrtle Creek for repairs.
Is Myrtle Creek at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Myrtle Creek’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Myrtle Creek.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Myrtle Creek’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.