Photo: Lexaxis7 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Omak’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Omak gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #183 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then wildfire (30%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1982.
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 Omak 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
Wildfire
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 Omak’s grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Omak, and Omak’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 30%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #183 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Omak’s residents live in 4 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, Omak has more expected damage per building than 64% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Omak: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Omak flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Omak, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Omak isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Okanogan County.The storms Omak remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Okanogan County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Omak itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19832 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19901 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Okanogan County has had 15 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 23 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Okanogan County, 2000–2026.
Old photos of Omak after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Omak archive →Omak and its neighbors
Omak 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omak | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Okanogan | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
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 Omak 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Omak
Is Omak at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Omak has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #183 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and wildfire (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Omak flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Omak since 1982, $65K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Omak 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 Okanogan County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Omak?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Omak’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Omak at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Omak’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Omak.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Omak’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.