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Rainier Fire StationPhoto: Wicker529 · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Rainier · FEMA

FEMA puts Rainier’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 72% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rainier gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (50%), then river and rain flooding (49%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Earthquakes 50%River and rain flooding 49%

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

more than 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Washington · higher than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 25 declared for Thurston County
By hazard

What Rainier faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

50%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

49%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Strong wind Landslides top 2% Tornadoes Ice storms Hail Winter storms Heat waves Lightning Volcanic activity top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Rainier’s grade

Earthquakes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rainier, and Rainier’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 49% (higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rainier sits
Rainier
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Rainier’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes50%River and rain flooding49%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Rainier: $880K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Rainier’s 2,369 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Rainier flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rainier. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Rainier isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Thurston County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rainier

Disasters that paid out in Rainier itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Rainier), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  3. 2001Earthquake$16K to the City of Rainier for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RainierThurston County only

Thurston County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. 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 Thurston County, 2020–2020.

Were you here?

Old photos of Rainier after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rainier archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Rainier faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Rainier

Is Rainier at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rainier has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (50%) and river and rain flooding (49%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Rainier 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 Thurston County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rainier?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rainier’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 Rainier?

By FEMA money that reached Rainier, Earthquake (2001): $16K to the City of Rainier for repairs.

Is Rainier at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Rainier’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rainier.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rainier’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.