Fort Okanogan, Sites of · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Brewster than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brewster gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then wildfire (22%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.
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 Brewster 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
Earthquakes
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 Brewster’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brewster, and Brewster’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 22%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brewster’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Brewster: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brewster flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brewster, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Brewster isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Okanogan County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Brewster
Disasters that paid out in Brewster itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Brewster), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Wildfires$123K to the City of Brewster for repairs
Okanogan County has had 15 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 23 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Okanogan County, 2000–2026.
Old photos of Brewster after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brewster archive →Get ready for what Brewster 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Brewster
Is Brewster at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brewster has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and wildfire (22%). 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 Brewster flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Brewster since 2008, $5K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Brewster 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 Okanogan County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Brewster?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brewster’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 Brewster?
By FEMA money that reached Brewster, Wildfires (2014): $123K to the City of Brewster for repairs.
Is Brewster at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Brewster’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brewster.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brewster’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.