Pacific Coast Company House No. 75 · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Newcastle than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newcastle gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #135 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (57%), then river and rain flooding (43%). 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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle’s grade
Earthquakes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newcastle, and Newcastle’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 43% (lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #135 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Newcastle’s residents live in 6 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, Newcastle has less expected damage per building than 53% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.8M a year in losses across Newcastle: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Newcastle flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Newcastle. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Newcastle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: King County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Newcastle
Disasters that paid out in Newcastle itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Newcastle), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$7K to the City of Newcastle for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$10K to the City of Newcastle for repairs
- 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$44K to the City of Newcastle for repairs
King County has had 30 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in King County, 2022–2022.
Old photos of Newcastle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Newcastle archive →Newcastle and its neighbors
Newcastle has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle
Is Newcastle at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newcastle has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #135 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (57%) and river and rain flooding (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Newcastle 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 King County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Newcastle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Newcastle’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 Newcastle?
By FEMA money that reached Newcastle, Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides (2006): $44K to the City of Newcastle for repairs.
Is Newcastle at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Newcastle’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newcastle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Newcastle’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.