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Middle Fork Nooksack River BridgeMiddle Fork Nooksack River Bridge · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Deming · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Deming

Deming isn’t graded for hazard risk: Deming has 568 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 21 declared for Whatcom County
By hazard

What Deming 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

84%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Volcanic activity top 0% Winter storms Landslides top 2% Ice storms Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 78% of Deming’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Deming flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Deming. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Whatcom County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Deming

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$219K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides30 households applied for aid$105K aid approved
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding47 households applied for aid$199K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DemingWhatcom County only

Whatcom County has had 21 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 Whatcom County, 2015–2015.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Deming archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Deming 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.
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 Deming

Is Deming 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 Whatcom County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Deming?

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

By FEMA money that reached Deming, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 8 households applied for aid, $219K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Deming.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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