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SumasSignPhoto: Drums600 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Sumas · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Sumas than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sumas gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then earthquakes (44%). Flood insurance has paid 303 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 56%Earthquakes 44%

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 87%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Washington · higher than 87% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
303
paid since 1982 · $22.4M
Flooded more than once
72
properties · 4 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
15% off
Community discount (class 7)

What stands out about Sumas’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

303 paid flood claims since 1982$22.4M in all; 72 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 99% of U.S. towns.15% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Sumas residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7).Moved out of harm’s way27 homes raised above flood level; 3 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 2021119 flood claims were paid for 2021 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Sumas 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

56%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

44%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Volcanic activity top 0% Wildfire Ice storms Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHailTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 61% of Sumas’ expected losses. Avalanches 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 Sumas’ grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sumas, and Sumas’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 44%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sumas sits
Sumas
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Earthquakes44%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Sumas: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides in 2021, FEMA took 422 aid registrations from Sumas addresses (the town has 618 homes).
Shared tract.All of Sumas’ 1,583 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 Sumas flood? Yes: 303 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sumas, from FEMA’s records: 490.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 6 claims1990: 42 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 5 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 11 claims2021: 119 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 119 claims2026: 0 claims199020212025
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver119 claims · $10.6M
303
paid claims since 1982
$22.4M
paid to owners
72
homes flooded more than once
$74K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 2 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount15% off flood insurance

Sumas is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Whatcom County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
27homes raised above flood level
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sumas

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides214 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved119 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides422 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$5.3M to the City of Sumas for repairs119 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$293K to the City of Sumas for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2018Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado$36K to the City of Sumas for repairs
  5. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides$783K to the City of Sumas for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$5K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SumasWhatcom County only

Whatcom County has had 21 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 Whatcom County, 2015–2015.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Sumas archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Sumas 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.
  • Sumas residents get 15% off flood insurance.
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 Sumas

Is Sumas at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sumas has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and earthquakes (44%). 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 Sumas flood?

Flood insurance has paid 303 claims in Sumas since 1982, $22.4M in all, or 490.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 72 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver (119).

Is Sumas 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 Whatcom County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sumas?

Sumas is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% 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 Sumas?

By FEMA money that reached Sumas, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2021): 422 households applied for aid, $2.1M approved, and $5.3M to the City of Sumas for repairs. By flood claims, 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver: 119 paid, $10.6M.

Is Sumas at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Sumas’ rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sumas.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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