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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Buckley · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Buckley faces more hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buckley gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #132 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (57%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1986.

Earthquakes 57%River and rain flooding 42%

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 75%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#132 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
C−#132 of 285
in Washington · higher than 75% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1986 · $127K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Pierce County
By hazard

What Buckley faces

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

Earthquakes

57%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 73% of Buckley’s expected losses. Avalanches 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 Buckley’s grade

Earthquakes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buckley, and Buckley’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 42% (lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Buckley sits
Buckley
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #132 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Buckley’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes57%River and rain flooding42%Everything else0%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Buckley has less expected damage per building than 54% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.5M a year in losses across Buckley: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Buckley’s 5,114 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Buckley flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1986

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buckley, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198619901991
19862026
4
paid claims since 1986
$127K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$32K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Pierce County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Buckley

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  2. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$53K to the City of Buckley for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$391K to the City of Buckley for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$12K to the City of Buckley for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$2K to the City of Buckley for repairs
  6. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$317K to the City of Buckley for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BuckleyPierce County only

Pierce County has had 21 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pierce County, 2020–2020.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Buckley archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Buckley faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 Buckley

Is Buckley at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buckley has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #132 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (57%) and river and rain flooding (42%). 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 Buckley flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Buckley since 1986, $127K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Buckley 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 Pierce County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Buckley?

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

By FEMA money that reached Buckley, Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding (2009): 6 households applied for aid, $25K approved, and $391K to the City of Buckley for repairs.

Is Buckley at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Buckley’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buckley.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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