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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Fife · FEMA

FEMA puts Fife’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fife gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #273 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (60%), then river and rain flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.

Earthquakes 60%River and rain flooding 36%Volcanic activity 3%

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 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#273 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
D#273 of 285
in Washington · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
60% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1996 · $21K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Pierce County
By hazard

What Fife faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

60%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

36%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Volcanic activity top 0% Strong wind Coastal flooding Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Tsunamis top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesCold wavesAvalanches

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 Fife’s grade

Earthquakes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fife, and Fife’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Volcanic activity adds 3%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fife sits
Fife
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #273 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fife’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes60%River and rain flooding36%Volcanic activity3%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fife has more expected damage per building than 96% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.6M a year in losses across Fife: $10.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Fife covers 6 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fife flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fife, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620092020
19962026
4
paid claims since 1996
$21K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fife 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.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fife

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  2. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$60K to the City of Fife for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$4K to the City of Fife for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$7K to the City of Fife for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$9K to the City of Fife for repairs
  6. 2001Earthquake$24K to the City of Fife for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FifePierce 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 Fife after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fife archive →
Next door

Fife and its neighbors

Fife is 6th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Tacoma: hazard risk C−Fife Heights: hazard risk DEdgewood: hazard risk C−Milton: hazard risk C−Puyallup: hazard risk DWaller: hazard risk DTacomaFife HeightsEdgewoodMiltonPuyallupWallerFife
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
EdgewoodC−more damage than 81%earthquakes—
MiltonC−more damage than 82%earthquakes6
TacomaC−more damage than 83%earthquakes54
WallerDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding176
PuyallupDmore damage than 92%earthquakes89
FifeDmore damage than 95%earthquakes4
Fife HeightsDmore damage than 95%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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Fife faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Fife

Is Fife at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fife has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #273 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (60%) and river and rain flooding (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Fife flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Fife since 1996, $21K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Fife 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 Fife?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fife, Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding (2009): 6 households applied for aid, $2K approved, and $60K to the City of Fife for repairs.

Is Fife at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Fife’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fife.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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