Photo: User:MrX · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Kittitas than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kittitas gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (64%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1997.
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 Kittitas faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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 Kittitas’ grade
Wildfire is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kittitas, and Kittitas’ rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 31% (higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts).
D higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kittitas’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Kittitas: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kittitas flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kittitas, from FEMA’s records: 11.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kittitas isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kittitas County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Kittitas
Disasters that paid out in Kittitas itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Kittitas), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$773 to the City of Kittitas for repairs
Kittitas County has had 17 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kittitas County, 2004–2018.
Old photos of Kittitas after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kittitas archive →Get ready for what Kittitas faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
- 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 Kittitas
Is Kittitas at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kittitas has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (64%) and river and rain flooding (31%). 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 Kittitas flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Kittitas since 1997, $28K in all, or 11.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Kittitas 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 Kittitas County, 2.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Kittitas?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kittitas’ 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 Kittitas?
By FEMA money that reached Kittitas, Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow (2008): $773 to the City of Kittitas for repairs.
Is Kittitas at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Kittitas’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kittitas.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kittitas’ 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.