Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Goldendale than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goldendale gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #229 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then wildfire (44%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1982.
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 Goldendale 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
Wildfire
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 Goldendale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Goldendale, and Goldendale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 44%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #229 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Goldendale’s residents live in 2 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, Goldendale has more expected damage per building than 80% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Goldendale: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Goldendale flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Goldendale, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Goldendale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Klickitat County.The storms Goldendale remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Klickitat County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Goldendale itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Klickitat County has had 18 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Klickitat County, 1998–2025.
Old photos of Goldendale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Goldendale archive →Get ready for what Goldendale 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.
- 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.
- 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 Goldendale
Is Goldendale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goldendale has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #229 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and wildfire (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Goldendale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Goldendale since 1982, $5K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Goldendale 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 Klickitat County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Goldendale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Goldendale’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Goldendale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Goldendale’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Goldendale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Goldendale’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.