FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Picnic Point as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Picnic Point gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #47 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (63%), then river and rain flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1980.
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 Picnic Point 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 Picnic Point’s grade
Earthquakes are 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Picnic Point, and Picnic Point’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 36% (lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #47 of 285 in Washington; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Picnic Point’s residents live in 3 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, Picnic Point has less expected damage per building than 84% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Picnic Point: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Picnic Point flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Picnic Point, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Picnic Point isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Snohomish County.The storms Picnic Point remembers
None of the 31 disasters declared for Snohomish County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Picnic Point itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20162 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19801 flood claims paidThe year of Volcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens, declared for Snohomish County
Snohomish County has had 31 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 Snohomish County, 2022–2022.
Old photos of Picnic Point after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Picnic Point archive →Picnic Point and its neighbors
Picnic Point has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picnic Point | B−less damage than 51% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Meadowdale | B−less damage than 50% | earthquakes | — |
| Mukilteo | C+more damage than 58% | earthquakes | 2 |
| North Lynnwood | Cmore damage than 65% | earthquakes | 4 |
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 Picnic Point 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 Picnic Point
Is Picnic Point at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Picnic Point has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #47 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 Picnic Point flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Picnic Point since 1980, $25K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Picnic Point 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 Snohomish County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Picnic Point?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Picnic Point’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Picnic Point at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Picnic Point’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Picnic Point.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Picnic Point’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.