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CarnationWaPhoto: RanchoRosco at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Carnation · FEMA

FEMA puts Carnation’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carnation gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then earthquakes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1990.

River and rain flooding 76%Earthquakes 24%

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 92%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Washington · higher than 92% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
17
paid since 1990 · $699K
Flood insurance
20% off
Community discount (class 6)

What stands out about Carnation’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

20% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Carnation residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6).Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way17 homes raised above flood level; 1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Carnation 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

76%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Earthquakes

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Wildfire Ice storms Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning 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 avalanches at 68% of Carnation’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 Carnation’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carnation, and Carnation’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 24% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Carnation sits
Carnation
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Earthquakes24%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.0M a year in losses across Carnation: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Carnation’s 2,158 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 Carnation flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1990

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carnation, from FEMA’s records: 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 4 claims1996: 4 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 4 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 claims199519962009
19902026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain2 claims · $65K
17
paid claims since 1990
$699K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$41K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount20% off flood insurance

Carnation is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: King County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
17homes raised above flood level
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carnation

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  2. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding62 households applied for aid$130K aid approved$13K to the City of Carnation for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$19K to the City of Carnation for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides18 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CarnationKing County only

King County has had 30 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in King County, 2022–2022.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Carnation archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Carnation 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 ↗
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.
  • Carnation residents get 20% off flood insurance.
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 Carnation

Is Carnation at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carnation has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and earthquakes (24%). 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 Carnation flood?

Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Carnation since 1990, $699K in all, or 22.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Torrential rain (2).

Is Carnation 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 King County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Carnation?

Carnation is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Carnation?

By FEMA money that reached Carnation, Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding (2009): 62 households applied for aid, $130K approved, and $13K to the City of Carnation for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 2 paid, $65K.

Is Carnation at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Carnation’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carnation.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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