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View of Stevenson, Washington facing south toward the Columbia River and the Oregon Cascades, May 2022Photo: LegalTech · CC BY 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Stevenson · FEMA

FEMA puts Stevenson’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stevenson gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%), then earthquakes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 87%Earthquakes 10%Strong wind 2%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Washington · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2008 · $58K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 23 declared for Skamania County
By hazard

What Stevenson 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

87%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Tornadoes Ice storms Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 20% of Stevenson’s expected losses. Cold waves 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Stevenson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stevenson, and Stevenson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 10% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Stevenson sits
Stevenson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Stevenson’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Earthquakes10%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Stevenson: $780K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Stevenson’s 1,491 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Stevenson flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stevenson, from FEMA’s records: 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200820092015
20082026
3
paid claims since 2008
$58K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Skamania County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Stevenson

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$36K to the City of Stevenson for repairs
  2. 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$17K to the City of Stevenson for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$23K to the City of Stevenson for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$733 aid approved$122K to the City of Stevenson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in StevensonSkamania County only

Skamania County has had 23 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Skamania County, 2007–2023.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Stevenson archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Stevenson 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 Stevenson

Is Stevenson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stevenson has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and earthquakes (10%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Stevenson flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Stevenson since 2008, $58K in all, or 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Stevenson 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 Skamania County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Stevenson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Stevenson, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2006): 6 households applied for aid, $733 approved, and $122K to the City of Stevenson for repairs.

Is Stevenson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Stevenson’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stevenson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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