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Kalama, WA - N First St 02Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kalama · FEMA

FEMA puts Kalama’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kalama gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #183 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (40%), then river and rain flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1998.

Earthquakes 40%River and rain flooding 36%Volcanic activity 22%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#183 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
C−#183 of 285
in Washington · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
40% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1998 · $277K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Cowlitz County
By hazard

What Kalama faces

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

Earthquakes

40%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

36%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Volcanic activity

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding Strong wind Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Kalama’s grade

Earthquakes are 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kalama, and Kalama’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Volcanic activity adds 22%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kalama sits
Kalama
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #183 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes40%River and rain flooding36%Volcanic activity22%Everything else2%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kalama has more expected damage per building than 64% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Kalama: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kalama’s 2,959 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 Kalama flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kalama, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 1 claim1999: 1 claim2000: 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: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199819992009
19982026
5
paid claims since 1998
$277K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$55K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cowlitz County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1home raised above flood level
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kalama

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding$34K to the City of Kalama for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, and a T$234K to the City of Kalama for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding32 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$25K to the City of Kalama for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$12K to the City of Kalama for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$13K to the City of Kalama for repairs
  6. 2001Earthquake$13K to the City of Kalama for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KalamaCowlitz County only

Cowlitz County has had 20 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 Kalama after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kalama archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Kalama 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 ↗
Volcanic activity
  • Keep N95 masks and goggles for ash.
  • Know the evacuation routes.
  • Keep ash out of the house and car vents.
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 Kalama

Is Kalama at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kalama has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #183 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (40%) and river and rain flooding (36%). 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.

Does Kalama flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Kalama since 1998, $277K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Kalama 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 Cowlitz County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kalama?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kalama, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, and a T (2015): $234K to the City of Kalama for repairs.

Is Kalama at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Kalama’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kalama.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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