Photo: Photo by Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Cottage Lake than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cottage Lake gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #78 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (56%), then river and rain flooding (44%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1981.
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 Cottage Lake faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Cottage Lake’s grade
Earthquakes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cottage Lake, and Cottage Lake’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 44% (lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #78 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cottage Lake’s residents live in 8 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, Cottage Lake has less expected damage per building than 73% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.2M a year in losses across Cottage Lake: $8.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cottage Lake flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cottage Lake, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Winter storm1 claim · $7K
Cottage Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: King County.The storms Cottage Lake remembers
None of the 30 disasters declared for King County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cottage Lake itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19972 flood claims paidThe year of Heavy Rains, Snow Melt, Flooding, Land and Mud Slides, declared for King County
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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.
Old photos of Cottage Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cottage Lake archive →Cottage Lake and its neighbors
Cottage Lake has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage Lake | C+more damage than 62% | earthquakes | 9 |
| Maltby | C+more damage than 64% | earthquakes | 13 |
| Union Hill-Novelty Hill | Cmore damage than 69% | earthquakes | 5 |
| High Bridge | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Redmond | C−more damage than 83% | earthquakes | 8 |
| Woodinville | C−more damage than 83% | earthquakes | — |
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 Cottage Lake faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Cottage Lake
Is Cottage Lake at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cottage Lake has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #78 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (56%) and river and rain flooding (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cottage Lake flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Cottage Lake since 1981, $66K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Winter storm (1).
Is Cottage Lake 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 Cottage Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cottage Lake’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 Cottage Lake?
By flood claims, Winter storm: 1 paid, $7K.
Is Cottage Lake at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Cottage Lake’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cottage Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cottage Lake’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.