Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Pasco than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pasco gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #149 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Pasco 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
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 Pasco’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pasco, and Pasco’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #149 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pasco’s residents live in 18 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, Pasco has more expected damage per building than 52% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $23.0M a year in losses across Pasco: $18.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pasco flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pasco. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pasco isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pasco
Disasters that paid out in Pasco itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pasco), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding$209K to the City of Pasco for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$25K to the City of Pasco for repairs
Franklin County has had 8 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.
Old photos of Pasco after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pasco archive →Pasco and its neighbors
Pasco is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Burbank | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Kennewick | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Pasco | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| West Pasco | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Finley | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Pasco 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.
- 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 Pasco
Is Pasco at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pasco has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #149 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pasco 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 Franklin County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Pasco?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pasco’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 Pasco?
By FEMA money that reached Pasco, Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding (2021): $209K to the City of Pasco for repairs.
Is Pasco at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Pasco’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pasco.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pasco’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.