Photo: Glenn Scofield Williams · CC BY 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in The Dalles than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Dalles gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #103 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then earthquakes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.
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 The Dalles 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
Earthquakes
Wildfire
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 The Dalles’ grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in The Dalles, and The Dalles’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #103 of 142 in Oregon; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
The Dalles’ residents live in 6 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, The Dalles has more expected damage per building than 72% of Oregon towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.0M a year in losses across The Dalles: $7.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does The Dalles flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in The Dalles, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
The Dalles isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wasco County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to The Dalles
Disasters that paid out in The Dalles itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of The Dalles), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$3K to the City of The Dalles for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Wasco County has had 11 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 12 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Wasco County, 2002–2026.
Old photos of The Dalles after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the The Dalles archive →The Dalles and its neighbors
The Dalles has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dalles | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Chenoweth | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 The Dalles 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 The Dalles
Is The Dalles at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Dalles has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #103 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and earthquakes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does The Dalles flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in The Dalles since 1996, $36K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is The Dalles 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 Wasco County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in The Dalles?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for The Dalles’ 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 The Dalles?
By FEMA money that reached The Dalles, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2006): $3K to the City of The Dalles for repairs.
Is The Dalles at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and The Dalles’ rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in The Dalles.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where The Dalles’ 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.