On FEMA’s figures, Summit faces more hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summit gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #110 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (62%), then river and rain flooding (37%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1980.
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 Summit faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Summit’s grade
Earthquakes are 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Summit, and Summit’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 37% (lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts).
C #110 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Summit’s residents live in 4 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, Summit has less expected damage per building than 62% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Summit: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Summit flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Summit, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mt. St. Helens Eruption1 claim · $35K
Summit isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pierce County.The storms Summit remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Pierce County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Summit itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19801 flood claims paidThe year of Volcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens, declared for Pierce County
Pierce County has had 21 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 Pierce County, 2020–2020.
Old photos of Summit after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Summit archive →Summit and its neighbors
Summit is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover Creek | Cmore damage than 70% | earthquakes | 15 |
| Summit | Cmore damage than 71% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Midland | C−more damage than 77% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Waller | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 176 |
| Puyallup | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | 89 |
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 Summit faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Summit
Is Summit at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summit has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #110 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (62%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Summit flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Summit since 1980, $35K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mt. St. Helens Eruption (1).
Is Summit 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 Pierce County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Summit?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Summit’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 Summit?
By flood claims, Mt. St. Helens Eruption: 1 paid, $35K.
Is Summit at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Summit’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Summit.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Summit’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.