Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Sultan than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sultan gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #279 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then earthquakes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 175 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Sultan’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sultan 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 Sultan’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sultan, and Sultan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 22%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #279 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sultan’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, Sultan has more expected damage per building than 98% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.6M a year in losses across Sultan: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sultan flood? Yes: 175 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sultan, from FEMA’s records: 79.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain40 claims · $1.2M
- The 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver12 claims · $562K
- The Winter storm1 claim · $13K
Sultan is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Snohomish County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sultan
Disasters that paid out in Sultan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sultan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides27 households applied for aid$180K aid approved12 flood claims paid that year
- 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$107K to the City of Sultan for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2015Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$14K to the City of Sultan for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
- 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$5K to the City of Sultan for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding16 households applied for aid$14K aid approved$3K to the City of Sultan for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$8K to the City of Sultan for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Show all 9
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides97 households applied for aid$395K aid approved$27K to the City of Sultan for repairs42 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding15 households applied for aid$56K aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 2001Earthquake$1K to the City of Sultan for repairs
Snohomish County has had 31 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Snohomish County, 2022–2022.
Old photos of Sultan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sultan archive →Sultan and its neighbors
Sultan has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 175 |
| Startup | — | 555 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| North Sultan | — | 355 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Sultan 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.
- Sultan residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Sultan
Is Sultan at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sultan has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #279 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and earthquakes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sultan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 175 claims in Sultan since 1979, $3.4M in all, or 79.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 24 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (40).
Is Sultan 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 Snohomish County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sultan?
Sultan is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Sultan?
By FEMA money that reached Sultan, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2006): 97 households applied for aid, $395K approved, and $27K to the City of Sultan for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 40 paid, $1.2M.
Is Sultan at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Sultan’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sultan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sultan’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.