Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Parkland faces more hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Parkland gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #182 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (63%), then river and rain flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1991.
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 Parkland 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 Parkland’s grade
Earthquakes are 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Parkland, and Parkland’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 36% (lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #182 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Parkland’s residents live in 10 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, Parkland has more expected damage per building than 64% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $15.1M a year in losses across Parkland: $10.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Parkland flood? Sometimes: 30 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Parkland, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver1 claim · $313
Parkland 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 Parkland remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Pierce County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Parkland itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199620 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Land and Muds Slides,flooding, declared for Pierce County
- 19911 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19951 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, High Wind, and Flooding, declared for Pierce County
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 Parkland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Parkland archive →Parkland and its neighbors
Parkland is 6th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederickson | C+more damage than 61% | earthquakes | — |
| McChord AFB | Cmore damage than 66% | earthquakes | — |
| Spanaway | Cmore damage than 69% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Clover Creek | Cmore damage than 70% | earthquakes | 15 |
| Midland | C−more damage than 77% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Parkland | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 30 |
| Tacoma | C−more damage than 83% | earthquakes | 54 |
| Lakewood | C−more damage than 83% | earthquakes | 2 |
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 Parkland 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 Parkland
Is Parkland at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Parkland has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #182 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (63%) and river and rain flooding (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Parkland flood?
Flood insurance has paid 30 claims in Parkland since 1991, $379K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver (1).
Is Parkland 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 Parkland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Parkland’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 Parkland?
By flood claims, 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver: 1 paid, $313.
Is Parkland at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Parkland’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Parkland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Parkland’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.