Charles F. Nelson House · Photo: Washington State Historic Preservation Office, Olympia, WA · Public domainFEMA puts Maplewood’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maplewood gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #119 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (57%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1981.
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 Maplewood 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 Maplewood’s grade
Earthquakes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Maplewood, and Maplewood’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C #119 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Maplewood’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, Maplewood has less expected damage per building than 58% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Maplewood: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Maplewood flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Maplewood, from FEMA’s records: 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Maplewood 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.The storms Maplewood remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Pierce County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Maplewood itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20225 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20022 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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.
Old photos of Maplewood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Maplewood archive →Maplewood and its neighbors
Maplewood 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maplewood | Cmore damage than 73% | earthquakes | 9 |
| Gig Harbor | Cmore damage than 74% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Purdy | C−more damage than 79% | 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 Maplewood 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 Maplewood
Is Maplewood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maplewood has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #119 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (57%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Maplewood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Maplewood since 1981, $305K in all, or 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Maplewood 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 Maplewood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Maplewood’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Maplewood at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Maplewood’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Maplewood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Maplewood’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.