Building No. 105, Boeing Airplane Company · Photo: Benjamin Cody · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Tukwila than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tukwila gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #277 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (62%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1996.
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 Tukwila 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 Tukwila’s grade
Earthquakes are 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tukwila, and Tukwila’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 38% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #277 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tukwila’s residents live in 8 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, Tukwila has more expected damage per building than 97% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $65.0M a year in losses across Tukwila: $46.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tukwila flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tukwila, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Tukwila isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: King County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tukwila
Disasters that paid out in Tukwila itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tukwila), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$18K to the City of Tukwila for repairs
- 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$77K to the City of Tukwila for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$34K to the City of Tukwila for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$46K to the City of Tukwila for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2001Earthquake$54K to the City of Tukwila for repairs
King County has had 30 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 King County, 2022–2022.
Old photos of Tukwila after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tukwila archive →Tukwila and its neighbors
Tukwila is 8th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | C−more damage than 83% | earthquakes | 156 |
| Burien | Dmore damage than 85% | earthquakes | 12 |
| Renton | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | 11 |
| Bryn Mawr-Skyway | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Kent | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | 24 |
| Boulevard Park | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | — |
| SeaTac | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Tukwila | D−more damage than 96% | 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 Tukwila 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 Tukwila
Is Tukwila at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tukwila has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #277 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (62%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tukwila flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Tukwila since 1996, $1K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Tukwila 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 King County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tukwila?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tukwila’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 Tukwila?
By FEMA money that reached Tukwila, Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2012): $77K to the City of Tukwila for repairs.
Is Tukwila at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Tukwila’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tukwila.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tukwila’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.