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Looking east on Main Street in Morton, WAPhoto: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Morton · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Morton faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morton gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then earthquakes (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 79%Earthquakes 20%

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Washington · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 33 declared for Lewis County
By hazard

What Morton 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

79%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Earthquakes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 1% Strong wind Wildfire Volcanic activity top 0% Tornadoes Winter storms Hail Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 27% of Morton’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Morton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Morton, and Morton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 20% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Morton sits
Morton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Morton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Earthquakes20%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Morton: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Morton’s 1,036 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Morton flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Morton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lewis County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Morton

Disasters that paid out in Morton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Morton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$17K to the City of Morton for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding82 households applied for aid$495K aid approved$858K to the City of Morton for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$912 to the City of Morton for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  6. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides13 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2001Earthquake$10K to the City of Morton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MortonLewis County only

Lewis County has had 33 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Morton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Morton faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Morton

Is Morton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morton has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and earthquakes (20%). 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.

Is Morton 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 Lewis County, 2.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Morton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Morton, Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding (2009): 82 households applied for aid, $495K approved, and $858K to the City of Morton for repairs.

Is Morton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Morton’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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