FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Lake Stickney as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Stickney gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #62 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (62%), then river and rain flooding (38%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Lake Stickney faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Lake Stickney’s grade
Earthquakes are 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Stickney, and Lake Stickney’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 38% (lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #62 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lake Stickney’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lake Stickney has less expected damage per building than 79% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.8M a year in losses across Lake Stickney: $2.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake Stickney flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lake Stickney. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Lake Stickney 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 Lake Stickney remembers
None of the 31 disasters declared for Snohomish County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lake Stickney itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Lake Stickney and its neighbors
Lake Stickney has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Stickney | C+more damage than 58% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Martha Lake | C+more damage than 64% | earthquakes | 1 |
| North Lynnwood | Cmore damage than 65% | earthquakes | 4 |
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 Lake Stickney faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Lake Stickney
Is Lake Stickney at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Stickney has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #62 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (62%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Lake Stickney 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 Lake Stickney?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Stickney’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lake Stickney at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Lake Stickney’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Stickney.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Stickney’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.