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Skamokawa Historic DistrictSkamokawa Historic District · Photo: Adumbvoget · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Skamokawa Valley · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Skamokawa Valley

Skamokawa Valley isn’t graded for hazard risk: Skamokawa Valley has 352 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 78 claims here since 1990.

Flood claims
78
paid since 1990 · $1.8M
Disasters paid out here
0
of 28 declared for Wahkiakum County
By hazard

What Skamokawa Valley 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

53%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Coastal flooding

26%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tsunamis top 1% Strong wind Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 1% Volcanic activity top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Hurricanes
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tsunamis at 34% of Skamokawa Valley’s expected losses. Tsunamis do little damage to buildings (0.6%), 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 Skamokawa Valley flood? Sometimes: 78 flood claims since 1990

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Skamokawa Valley, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 22 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 3 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 3 claims2006: 14 claims2007: 10 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 14 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 2 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 3 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620062009
19902026
Biggest named events
  • The Winter storm10 claims · $245K
  • The Torrential rain8 claims · $324K
78
paid claims since 1990
$1.8M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$23K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wahkiakum County.
Disasters

The storms Skamokawa Valley remembers

None of the 28 disasters declared for Wahkiakum County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Skamokawa Valley itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 199622 flood claims paidThe year of High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Wahkiakum County
  2. 200614 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Wahkiakum County
  3. 200914 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding, declared for Wahkiakum County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Skamokawa ValleyWahkiakum County only

Wahkiakum County has had 28 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Skamokawa Valley archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Skamokawa Valley 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 ↗
When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
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 Skamokawa Valley

Does Skamokawa Valley flood?

Flood insurance has paid 78 claims in Skamokawa Valley since 1990, $1.8M in all. The most claims came from Winter storm (10).

Is Skamokawa Valley 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 Wahkiakum County, 5.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Skamokawa Valley?

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

By flood claims, Winter storm: 10 paid, $245K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Skamokawa Valley.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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