Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sammamish

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
2022-05-27, Big Rock Park North, Sammamish, Washington, 03Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sammamish · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Sammamish than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sammamish gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #138 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then earthquakes (46%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2006.

River and rain flooding 54%Earthquakes 46%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#138 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
C−#138 of 285
in Washington · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 2006 · $262K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
8
of 30 declared for King County
By hazard

What Sammamish 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

54%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Earthquakes

46%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 1% Volcanic activity top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesTsunamis

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 Sammamish’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sammamish, and Sammamish’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 46% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Sammamish sits
Sammamish
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #138 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Sammamish’s residents live in 16 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Earthquakes46%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sammamish has less expected damage per building than 52% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $32.7M a year in losses across Sammamish: $28.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 16 census tracts by where Sammamish’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sammamish flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 2006

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sammamish, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 4 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200620192020
20062026
10
paid claims since 2006
$262K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$26K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: King County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sammamish

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  2. 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$124K to the City of Sammamish for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides$204K to the City of Sammamish for repairs
  4. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$143K to the City of Sammamish for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$49K to the City of Sammamish for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$198K to the City of Sammamish for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$8K to the City of Sammamish for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SammamishKing County only

King County has had 30 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 King County, 2022–2022.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Sammamish archive →
Next door

Sammamish and its neighbors

Sammamish has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Issaquah: hazard risk DRedmond: hazard risk C−Bellevue: hazard risk C−IssaquahRedmondBellevueSammamish
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SammamishC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding10
RedmondC−more damage than 83%earthquakes8
BellevueC−more damage than 83%earthquakes39
IssaquahDmore damage than 89%earthquakes145

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Sammamish faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Sammamish

Is Sammamish at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sammamish has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #138 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and earthquakes (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Sammamish flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Sammamish since 2006, $262K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Sammamish 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 King County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sammamish?

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

By FEMA money that reached Sammamish, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides (2017): $204K to the City of Sammamish for repairs.

Is Sammamish at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Sammamish’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sammamish.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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