Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Puyallup than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Puyallup gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #257 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (59%), then river and rain flooding (39%). Flood insurance has paid 89 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Puyallup’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Puyallup 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 Puyallup’s grade
Earthquakes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Puyallup, and Puyallup’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Volcanic activity adds 2%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #257 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Puyallup’s residents live in 13 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, Puyallup has more expected damage per building than 90% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $42.8M a year in losses across Puyallup: $29.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Puyallup flood? Sometimes: 89 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Puyallup, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver8 claims · $1.1M
- The Torrential rain2 claims · $6K
- The Winter storm1 claim · $4K
Puyallup 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Puyallup
Disasters that paid out in Puyallup itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Puyallup), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides123 households applied for aid$451K aid approved$30K to the City of Puyallup for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
- 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$229K to the City of Puyallup for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding98 households applied for aid$201K aid approved$229K to the City of Puyallup for repairs17 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$18K to the City of Puyallup for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides46 households applied for aid$109K aid approved$140K to the City of Puyallup for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
Show all 7
- 2001Earthquake$131K to the City of Puyallup for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
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 Puyallup after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Puyallup archive →Puyallup and its neighbors
Puyallup is 5th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Hill | C+more damage than 62% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Summit | Cmore damage than 71% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Edgewood | C−more damage than 81% | earthquakes | — |
| Alderton | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Puyallup | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | 89 |
| Fife | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | 4 |
| North Puyallup | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | — |
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 Puyallup 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 Puyallup
Is Puyallup at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Puyallup has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #257 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (59%) and river and rain flooding (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Puyallup flood?
Flood insurance has paid 89 claims in Puyallup since 1979, $3.9M in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver (8).
Is Puyallup 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 Puyallup?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Puyallup’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 Puyallup?
By FEMA money that reached Puyallup, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 123 households applied for aid, $451K approved, and $30K to the City of Puyallup for repairs. By flood claims, 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver: 8 paid, $1.1M.
Is Puyallup at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Puyallup’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Puyallup.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Puyallup’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.