FEMA puts South Wenatchee’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Wenatchee gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then wildfire (17%). 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 South Wenatchee 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
Wildfire
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 South Wenatchee’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Wenatchee, and South Wenatchee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 17%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
South Wenatchee’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across South Wenatchee: $647K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does South Wenatchee flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in South Wenatchee. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
South Wenatchee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chelan County.The storms South Wenatchee remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Chelan County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Wenatchee itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Chelan County has had 19 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 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Chelan County, 2001–2025.
South Wenatchee and its neighbors
South Wenatchee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wenatchee | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| South Wenatchee | Dmore damage than 91% | 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 South Wenatchee 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.
- 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.
- 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 South Wenatchee
Is South Wenatchee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Wenatchee has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and wildfire (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is South Wenatchee 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 Chelan County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in South Wenatchee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Wenatchee’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is South Wenatchee at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and South Wenatchee’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Wenatchee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Wenatchee’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.