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Welcome sign in Eatonville, WAPhoto: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Eatonville · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Eatonville than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eatonville gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #224 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then earthquakes (25%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 71%Earthquakes 25%Wildfire 1%

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 88%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#224 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
D#224 of 285
in Washington · higher than 88% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Pierce County

What stands out about Eatonville’s natural hazards

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

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 1.1% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Eatonville 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

71%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Earthquakes

25%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Landslides top 1% Volcanic activity top 0% Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Winter storms Ice storms 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 67% of Eatonville’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 Eatonville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eatonville, and Eatonville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 1%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Eatonville sits
Eatonville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #224 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding71%Earthquakes25%Everything else4%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Eatonville has more expected damage per building than 79% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.7M a year in losses across Eatonville: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Eatonville’s 2,845 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ashford CDP (303 residents) and Alder CDP (212 residents) and La Grande CDP (121 residents) and Elbe CDP (39 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Eatonville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Eatonville. 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

Eatonville 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
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Eatonville

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$31K to the Town of Eatonville for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$74K aid approved$18K to the Town of Eatonville for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$38K to the Town of Eatonville for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides14 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
  6. 2001Earthquake$43K to the Town of Eatonville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EatonvillePierce 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 Eatonville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Eatonville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Eatonville 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 Eatonville

Is Eatonville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eatonville has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #224 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and earthquakes (25%). 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.

Is Eatonville 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 Eatonville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Eatonville, Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding (2009): 15 households applied for aid, $74K approved, and $18K to the Town of Eatonville for repairs.

Is Eatonville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Eatonville’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eatonville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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