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Hoquiam, WA — Part of the Historic District (July 2016)Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hoquiam · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Hoquiam than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from coastal flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hoquiam gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (63%), then earthquakes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 199 claims here since 1981.

Coastal flooding 63%Earthquakes 24%River and rain flooding 10%

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−#285 of 285
in Washington · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Coastal flooding
63% of expected building damage
Flood claims
199
paid since 1981 · $4.3M
Flooded more than once
11
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
11
of 30 declared for Grays Harbor County

What stands out about Hoquiam’s natural hazards

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

199 paid flood claims since 1981$4.3M in all; 11 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 92% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 62.7% of the damage it expects.Remembers 2015134 flood claims were paid for 2015 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Hoquiam faces

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

Coastal flooding

63%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

10%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tsunamis top 0% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Heat waves Landslides top 5% Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesCold wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity

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 Hoquiam’s grade

Coastal flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hoquiam, and Hoquiam’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 24%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hoquiam sits
Hoquiam
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #285 of 285 in Washington; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

Hoquiam’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Coastal flooding63%Earthquakes24%River and rain flooding10%Everything else3%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hoquiam has more expected damage per building than 100% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.5M a year in losses across Hoquiam: $16.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Hoquiam covers 3 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 Hoquiam flood? Yes: 199 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hoquiam, from FEMA’s records: 49.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 4 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 5 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 10 claims1997: 4 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 3 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 5 claims2007: 11 claims2008: 2 claims2009: 2 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 2 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 134 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 10 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620072015
19812026
Biggest named events
  • The Winter storm10 claims · $66K
  • The Torrential rain3 claims · $48K
199
paid claims since 1981
$4.3M
paid to owners
11
homes flooded more than once
$21K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Grays Harbor County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hoquiam

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  2. 2024Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$12K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs
  3. 2021Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding$34K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs
  4. 2020Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$11K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs
  5. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$2K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding13 households applied for aid$85K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
Show all 11
  1. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides649 households applied for aid$280K aid approved$63K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides19 households applied for aid$47K aid approved
  3. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Tidal Surge, Landslides, and Mudslides$9K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$7K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2001Earthquake$1K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HoquiamGrays Harbor County only

Grays Harbor County has had 30 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hoquiam archive →
Next door

Hoquiam and its neighbors

Hoquiam is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Aberdeen: hazard risk D−AberdeenHoquiam
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AberdeenD−among the highest damagecoastal flooding240
HoquiamD−among the highest damagecoastal flooding199

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 Hoquiam 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 tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
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 ↗
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 Hoquiam

Is Hoquiam at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hoquiam has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (63%) and earthquakes (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hoquiam flood?

Flood insurance has paid 199 claims in Hoquiam since 1981, $4.3M in all, or 49.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Winter storm (10).

Is Hoquiam 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 Grays Harbor County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hoquiam?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hoquiam, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2007): 649 households applied for aid, $280K approved, and $63K to the City of Hoquiam for repairs. By flood claims, Winter storm: 10 paid, $66K.

Is Hoquiam at risk from coastal flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Hoquiam’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hoquiam.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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