FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Kayak Point as in the typical U.S. town, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kayak Point gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then earthquakes (48%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims 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 Kayak Point 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
Earthquakes
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 Kayak Point’s grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kayak Point, and Kayak Point’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kayak Point’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $585K a year in losses across Kayak Point: $468K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kayak Point flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kayak Point, from FEMA’s records: 19.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kayak Point isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Snohomish County.The storms Kayak Point remembers
None of the 31 disasters declared for Snohomish County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kayak Point itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20165 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20122 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Snohomish County
- 20182 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado, declared for Snohomish County
Snohomish County has had 31 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 Snohomish County, 2022–2022.
Old photos of Kayak Point after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kayak Point archive →Kayak Point and its neighbors
Kayak Point is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Goodwin | C+more damage than 56% | earthquakes | — |
| Kayak Point | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Warm Beach | Cmore damage than 72% | 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.
Get ready for what Kayak Point 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Kayak Point
Is Kayak Point at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kayak Point has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and earthquakes (48%). 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 Kayak Point flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Kayak Point since 1982, $482K in all, or 19.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kayak Point 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 Snohomish County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kayak Point?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kayak Point’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kayak Point at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Kayak Point’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kayak Point.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kayak Point’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.