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Aberdeen, WA - Downtown & Chehalis River from Rt 101Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Aberdeen · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Aberdeen, led by coastal flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aberdeen gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #283 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (40%), then earthquakes (37%). Flood insurance has paid 240 claims here since 1978.

Coastal flooding 40%Earthquakes 37%River and rain flooding 19%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#283 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
D−#283 of 285
in Washington · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Coastal flooding
40% of expected building damage
Flood claims
240
paid since 1978 · $3.0M
Flooded more than once
14
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
12
of 30 declared for Grays Harbor County

What stands out about Aberdeen’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

240 paid flood claims since 1978$3.0M in all; 14 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 90% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 39.7% of the damage it expects.Remembers 201597 flood claims were paid for 2015 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Aberdeen faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Coastal flooding

40%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

37%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

19%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tsunamis top 0% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesCold wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts earthquakes at 47% of Aberdeen’s expected losses. Earthquakes do little damage to buildings (36.7%), 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 Aberdeen’s grade

Coastal flooding is 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Aberdeen, and Aberdeen’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 37%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Aberdeen sits
Aberdeen
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #283 of 285 in Washington; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Coastal flooding40%Earthquakes37%River and rain flooding19%Everything else5%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Aberdeen has more expected damage per building than 99% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $25.6M a year in losses across Aberdeen: $19.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Aberdeen 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 Aberdeen flood? Yes: 240 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aberdeen, from FEMA’s records: 34.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 4 claims1979: 3 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 33 claims1982: 7 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 16 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 4 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 18 claims1997: 3 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 3 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 3 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 8 claims2007: 20 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 2 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 97 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 8 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198120072015
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Winter storm20 claims · $91K
  • The Torrential rain6 claims · $71K
240
paid claims since 1978
$3.0M
paid to owners
14
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Aberdeen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Grays Harbor County.
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Aberdeen

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$68K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding$314K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2020Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$15K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs
  4. 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$34K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs
  5. 2018Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado$568K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs
  6. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$7K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 12
  1. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding33 households applied for aid$81K aid approved$188K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$22K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1,446 households applied for aid$428K aid approved$629K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs20 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides35 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Tidal Surge, Landslides, and Mudslides$5K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding25 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$8K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AberdeenGrays Harbor County only

Grays Harbor County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Aberdeen archive →
Next door

Aberdeen and its neighbors

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

Cosmopolis: hazard risk D−Hoquiam: hazard risk D−CosmopolisHoquiamAberdeen
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AberdeenD−among the highest damagecoastal flooding240
CosmopolisD−among the highest damageearthquakes5
HoquiamD−among the highest damagecoastal flooding199

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 Aberdeen 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 tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Aberdeen

Is Aberdeen at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aberdeen has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #283 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (40%) and earthquakes (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Aberdeen flood?

Flood insurance has paid 240 claims in Aberdeen since 1978, $3.0M in all, or 34.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Winter storm (20).

Is Aberdeen 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 Grays Harbor County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Aberdeen?

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

By FEMA money that reached Aberdeen, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2007): 1,446 households applied for aid, $428K approved, and $629K to the City of Aberdeen for repairs. By flood claims, Winter storm: 20 paid, $91K.

Is Aberdeen at risk from coastal flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Aberdeen’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aberdeen.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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