Agate Pass Bridge · Photo: User:DVD R W · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Suquamish’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Suquamish gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #114 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (67%), then river and rain flooding (28%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2003.
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 Suquamish 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 Suquamish’s grade
Earthquakes are 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Suquamish, and Suquamish’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 4%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C #114 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Suquamish’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Suquamish has less expected damage per building than 60% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Suquamish: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Suquamish flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2003
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Suquamish, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Suquamish isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kitsap County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Suquamish
Disasters that paid out in Suquamish itself (aid to households or repair grants to Suquamish), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Kitsap County has had 13 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.
Old photos of Suquamish after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Suquamish archive →Suquamish and its neighbors
Suquamish 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianola | Cmore damage than 65% | earthquakes | — |
| Suquamish | Cmore damage than 72% | earthquakes | 1 |
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 Suquamish 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 Suquamish
Is Suquamish at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Suquamish has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #114 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (67%) and river and rain flooding (28%). 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 Suquamish flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Suquamish since 2003, $8K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Suquamish 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 Kitsap County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Suquamish?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Suquamish’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 Suquamish?
By FEMA money that reached Suquamish, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2007): 8 households applied for aid, $7K approved.
Is Suquamish at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Suquamish’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Suquamish.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Suquamish’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.