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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Entiat · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Entiat than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Entiat gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then wildfire (41%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 57%Wildfire 41%Earthquakes 2%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Washington · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 19 declared for Chelan County
By hazard

What Entiat 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

57%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Landslides top 1% Avalanches top 0% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Volcanic activity 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 36% of Entiat’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Entiat’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Entiat, and Entiat’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 41%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Entiat sits
Entiat
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Wildfire41%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.9M a year in losses across Entiat: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Entiat’s 1,326 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 Entiat flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chelan County.
Disasters

The storms Entiat remembers

None of the 19 disasters declared for Chelan County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Entiat itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EntiatChelan County only

Chelan County has had 19 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 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Chelan County, 2001–2025.

Be ready

Get ready for what Entiat 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Entiat

Is Entiat at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Entiat has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and wildfire (41%). 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 Entiat 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 Chelan County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Entiat?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Entiat’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Entiat at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Entiat’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Entiat.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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