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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ahtanum · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Ahtanum than in 83% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ahtanum gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #189 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%), then wildfire (28%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2016.

River and rain flooding 44%Wildfire 28%Earthquakes 27%

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

more than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#189 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
C−#189 of 285
in Washington · higher than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
44% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2016 · $82K
Flood claims per home
3 per 1,000
fewer than 52% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Ahtanum 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

44%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

27%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Tornadoes Hail Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides 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 12% of Ahtanum’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 Ahtanum’s grade

River and rain flooding is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ahtanum, and Ahtanum’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 28%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ahtanum sits
Ahtanum
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #189 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ahtanum’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding44%Wildfire28%Earthquakes27%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ahtanum has more expected damage per building than 66% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Ahtanum: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Ahtanum covers 4 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 Ahtanum flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2016

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ahtanum, from FEMA’s records: 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2016: 2 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20162017
20162026
4
paid claims since 2016
$82K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$21K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Yakima County.
Disasters

The storms Ahtanum remembers

None of the 19 disasters declared for Yakima County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ahtanum itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20162 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 20172 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AhtanumYakima County only

Yakima County has had 19 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 16 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Yakima County, 2000–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ahtanum archive →
Next door

Ahtanum and its neighbors

Ahtanum is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Yakima: hazard risk A−Union Gap: hazard risk C+YakimaUnion GapAhtanum
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
YakimaA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding10
Union GapC+more damage than 65%earthquakes3
AhtanumC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding4

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 Ahtanum 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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 Ahtanum

Is Ahtanum at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ahtanum has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #189 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%) and wildfire (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Ahtanum flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Ahtanum since 2016, $82K in all, or 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Ahtanum 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 Yakima County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ahtanum?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ahtanum’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Ahtanum at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Ahtanum’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ahtanum.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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