More hazard damage per building is expected in Beacon Hill than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beacon Hill gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then earthquakes (25%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2015.
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 Beacon Hill 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
Volcanic activity
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 Beacon Hill’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Beacon Hill, and Beacon Hill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Volcanic activity adds 7%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Beacon Hill’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $981K a year in losses across Beacon Hill: $548K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Beacon Hill flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Beacon Hill, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Beacon Hill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cowlitz County.The storms Beacon Hill remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Cowlitz County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Beacon Hill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20152 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, and a T, declared for Cowlitz County
Cowlitz County has had 20 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.
Old photos of Beacon Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Beacon Hill archive →Beacon Hill and its neighbors
Beacon Hill is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longview Heights | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Beacon Hill | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lexington | D−among the highest damage | 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 Beacon Hill 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.
- Keep N95 masks and goggles for ash.
- Know the evacuation routes.
- Keep ash out of the house and car vents.
- 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 Beacon Hill
Is Beacon Hill at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beacon Hill has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and earthquakes (25%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Beacon Hill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Beacon Hill since 2015, $239K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Beacon Hill 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 Cowlitz County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Beacon Hill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Beacon Hill’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Beacon Hill at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Beacon Hill’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beacon Hill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Beacon Hill’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.