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Riverside, Washington city hallPhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Riverside · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Riverside

Riverside isn’t graded for hazard risk: Riverside has 471 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 15 declared for Okanogan County
By hazard

What Riverside faces

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

Wildfire

64%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

34%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Landslides top 2% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 0% Volcanic activity top 3%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 24% of Riverside’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Riverside flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Okanogan County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Riverside

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

  1. 2024Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$279K to the Town of Riverside for repairs
  2. 2012Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$7K to the Town of Riverside for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RiversideOkanogan County only

Okanogan County has had 15 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 23 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Okanogan County, 2000–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Riverside archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Riverside faces

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

Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Riverside

Is Riverside 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 Okanogan County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Riverside?

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

By FEMA money that reached Riverside, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2024): $279K to the Town of Riverside for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Riverside.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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