Jonas and Maria Lovisa Erickson Farmstead · Photo: Dog Walking Girl · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Rochester than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rochester gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #247 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then earthquakes (36%). 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 Rochester 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
Earthquakes
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 Rochester’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rochester, and Rochester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 36%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D #247 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rochester’s residents live in 2 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, Rochester has more expected damage per building than 87% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Rochester: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rochester flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rochester. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rochester 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rochester
Disasters that paid out in Rochester itself (aid to households or repair grants to Rochester), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding23 households applied for aid$54K aid approved
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides120 households applied for aid$479K aid approved
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.
Old photos of Rochester after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rochester archive →Rochester and its neighbors
Rochester is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Mound | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rochester | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Rochester 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Rochester
Is Rochester at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rochester has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #247 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and earthquakes (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Rochester 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 Rochester?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rochester’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 Rochester?
By FEMA money that reached Rochester, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2007): 120 households applied for aid, $479K approved.
Is Rochester at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Rochester’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rochester.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rochester’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.