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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Union Hill-Novelty Hill · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Union Hill-Novelty Hill faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Hill-Novelty Hill gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #97 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (56%), then river and rain flooding (44%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2006.

Earthquakes 56%River and rain flooding 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 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#97 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
C#97 of 285
in Washington · higher than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 2006 · $66K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 88% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Union Hill-Novelty Hill faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

44%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Ice storms Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill’s grade

Earthquakes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Hill-Novelty Hill, and Union Hill-Novelty Hill’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 44% (lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Union Hill-Novelty Hill sits
Union Hill-Novelty Hill
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #97 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Union Hill-Novelty Hill’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes56%River and rain flooding44%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Union Hill-Novelty Hill has less expected damage per building than 66% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.1M a year in losses across Union Hill-Novelty Hill: $9.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Union Hill-Novelty Hill’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Union Hill-Novelty Hill flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2006

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Union Hill-Novelty Hill, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 3 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims200620092025
20062026
Biggest named events
  • The 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver1 claim · $24K
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $12K
5
paid claims since 2006
$66K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$13K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Union Hill-Novelty Hill 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.
Disasters

The storms Union Hill-Novelty Hill remembers

None of the 30 disasters declared for King County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Union Hill-Novelty Hill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20093 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding, declared for King County
  2. 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for King County
  3. 20251 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for King County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Union Hill-Novelty HillKing County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Union Hill-Novelty Hill archive →
Next door

Union Hill-Novelty Hill and its neighbors

Union Hill-Novelty Hill is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Redmond: hazard risk C−Ames Lake: hazard risk C−Cottage Lake: hazard risk C+RedmondAmes LakeCottage LakeUnion Hill-Novelty Hill
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Cottage LakeC+more damage than 62%earthquakes9
Union Hill-Novelty HillCmore damage than 69%earthquakes5
RedmondC−more damage than 83%earthquakes8
Ames LakeC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Union Hill-Novelty Hill faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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.
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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill

Is Union Hill-Novelty Hill at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Hill-Novelty Hill has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #97 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (56%) and river and rain flooding (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Union Hill-Novelty Hill flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Union Hill-Novelty Hill since 2006, $66K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver (1).

Is Union Hill-Novelty Hill 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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union Hill-Novelty Hill’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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill?

By flood claims, 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver: 1 paid, $24K.

Is Union Hill-Novelty Hill at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Union Hill-Novelty Hill’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Hill-Novelty Hill.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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