Photo: SpokaneWilly · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Country Homes, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Country Homes gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #2 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then earthquakes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Country Homes 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
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 Country Homes’ grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Country Homes, and Country Homes’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 14% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #2 of 285 in Washington; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Country Homes’ residents live in 3 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, Country Homes has less expected damage per building than 100% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $804K a year in losses across Country Homes: $391K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Country Homes flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Country Homes. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Country Homes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Spokane County.The storms Country Homes remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Spokane County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Country Homes itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Spokane County has had 17 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 13 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Spokane County, 2008–2026.
Country Homes and its neighbors
Country Homes has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country Homes | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Town and Country | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Spokane | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Fairwood | Aless damage than 94% | 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 Country Homes 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.
- 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 Country Homes
Is Country Homes at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Country Homes has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #2 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and earthquakes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Country Homes 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 Spokane County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Country Homes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Country Homes’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Country Homes at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Country Homes’ rate for it is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Country Homes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Country Homes’ 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.