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KetronIslandPhoto: Drums600 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Ketron Island · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Ketron Island

Ketron Island isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Ketron Island yet. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2003.

Flood claims
3
paid since 2003 · $20K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 21 declared for Pierce County
By hazard

What Ketron Island faces

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

Earthquakes

58%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Tsunamis top 1% Hail Winter storms Ice storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 3%
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesCold wavesAvalanches
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts earthquakes at 66% of Ketron Island’s expected losses. Earthquakes do little damage to buildings (57.5%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Ketron Island flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ketron Island, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320062019
20032026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $10K
3
paid claims since 2003
$20K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Pierce County.
Disasters

The storms Ketron Island remembers

None of the 21 disasters declared for Pierce County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ketron Island itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20031 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Pierce County
  2. 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Pierce County
  3. 20191 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ketron IslandPierce County only

Pierce County has had 21 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 Pierce County, 2020–2020.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ketron Island archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ketron Island 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.
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 Ketron Island

Does Ketron Island flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ketron Island since 2003, $20K in all. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).

Is Ketron Island 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 Pierce County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ketron Island?

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

By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $10K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ketron Island.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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