Photo: Will Maupin · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Airway Heights’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Airway Heights gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #8 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then wildfire (36%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Airway Heights 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
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 Airway Heights’ grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Airway Heights, and Airway Heights’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 36%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #8 of 285 in Washington; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Airway Heights’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Airway Heights has less expected damage per building than 98% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Airway Heights: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Airway Heights flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Airway Heights. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Airway Heights isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Spokane County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Airway Heights
Disasters that paid out in Airway Heights itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Airway Heights), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides$169K to the City of Airway Heights for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$10K to the City of Airway Heights for repairs
Spokane County has had 17 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 13 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Spokane County, 2008–2026.
Old photos of Airway Heights after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Airway Heights archive →Airway Heights and its neighbors
Airway Heights 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airway Heights | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Spokane | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Airway Heights 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.
- 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 Airway Heights
Is Airway Heights at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Airway Heights has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #8 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and wildfire (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Airway Heights 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 Spokane County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Airway Heights?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Airway Heights’ 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 Airway Heights?
By FEMA money that reached Airway Heights, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides (2017): $169K to the City of Airway Heights for repairs.
Is Airway Heights at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Airway Heights’ rate for it is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Airway Heights.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Airway Heights’ 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.