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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Issaquah · FEMA

FEMA puts Issaquah’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Issaquah gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #235 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (53%), then river and rain flooding (46%). Flood insurance has paid 145 claims here since 1979.

Earthquakes 53%River and rain flooding 46%

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 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#235 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
D#235 of 285
in Washington · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
53% of expected building damage
Flood claims
145
paid since 1979 · $4.8M
Flooded more than once
20
properties · 6 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
25% off
Community discount (class 5)

What stands out about Issaquah’s natural hazards

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

145 paid flood claims since 1979$4.8M in all; 20 properties flooded more than once.25% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Issaquah residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5).Moved out of harm’s way7 homes raised above flood level; 6 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 199036 flood claims were paid for 1990 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Issaquah faces

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

Earthquakes

53%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

46%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Ice storms Landslides top 4% Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 0% Volcanic activity top 1%
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 31% of Issaquah’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 Issaquah’s grade

Earthquakes are 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Issaquah, and Issaquah’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 46% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Issaquah sits
Issaquah
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #235 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Issaquah’s residents live in 10 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes53%River and rain flooding46%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Issaquah has more expected damage per building than 82% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $52.6M a year in losses across Issaquah: $26.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 10 census tracts by where Issaquah’s 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 Issaquah flood? Yes: 145 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Issaquah, from FEMA’s records: 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 3 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 4 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 13 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 36 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 4 claims1996: 23 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 3 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 26 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 17 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 3 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 2 claims2026: 0 claims199019962009
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain3 claims · $31K
  • The Winter storm2 claims · $13K
  • The 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver2 claims · $65K
145
paid claims since 1979
$4.8M
paid to owners
20
homes flooded more than once
$33K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (6)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount25% off flood insurance

Issaquah is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: King County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7homes raised above flood level
6flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Issaquah

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides9 households applied for aid$18K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$349K to the City of Issaquah for repairs17 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides$93K to the City of Issaquah for repairs
  4. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$150K to the City of Issaquah for repairs
  5. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding50 households applied for aid$88K aid approved$115K to the City of Issaquah for repairs26 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$185K to the City of Issaquah for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$110K to the City of Issaquah for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$92K to the City of Issaquah for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides13 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$65K to the City of Issaquah for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  5. 2001Earthquake$106K to the City of Issaquah for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in IssaquahKing County only

King 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in King County, 2022–2022.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Issaquah archive →
Next door

Issaquah and its neighbors

Issaquah is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Sammamish: hazard risk C−Bellevue: hazard risk C−SammamishBellevueIssaquah
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SammamishC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding10
BellevueC−more damage than 83%earthquakes39
IssaquahDmore damage than 89%earthquakes145

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 Issaquah 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.
  • Issaquah residents get 25% off flood insurance.
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 Issaquah

Is Issaquah at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Issaquah has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #235 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (53%) and river and rain flooding (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Issaquah flood?

Flood insurance has paid 145 claims in Issaquah since 1979, $4.8M in all, or 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 20 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (3).

Is Issaquah 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 King County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Issaquah?

Issaquah is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Issaquah?

By FEMA money that reached Issaquah, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2020): $349K to the City of Issaquah for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 3 paid, $31K.

Is Issaquah at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Issaquah’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Issaquah.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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