FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Minnehaha than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minnehaha gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #31 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then earthquakes (39%). 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 Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha’s grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Minnehaha, and Minnehaha’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 39% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #31 of 285 in Washington; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Minnehaha’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, Minnehaha has less expected damage per building than 89% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Minnehaha: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Minnehaha flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Minnehaha. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Minnehaha isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clark County.The storms Minnehaha remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Clark County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Minnehaha itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Clark County has had 13 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 Clark County, 2022–2022.
Minnehaha and its neighbors
Minnehaha has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Vancouver | Bless damage than 63% | earthquakes | 5 |
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 Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha
Is Minnehaha at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minnehaha has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #31 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and earthquakes (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Minnehaha 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 Clark County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Minnehaha?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Minnehaha’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Minnehaha at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Minnehaha’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Minnehaha.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Minnehaha’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.