Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in White Center than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Center gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #201 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (79%), then river and rain flooding (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 White Center 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 White Center’s grade
Earthquakes are 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in White Center, and White Center’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 20% (lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #201 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
White Center’s residents live in 6 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, White Center has more expected damage per building than 70% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.2M a year in losses across White Center: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does White Center flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in White Center. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
White Center 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.The storms White Center remembers
None of the 30 disasters declared for King County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching White Center itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
White Center and its neighbors
White Center is 2nd of the 4 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 |
| White Center | C−more damage than 84% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Burien | Dmore damage than 85% | earthquakes | 12 |
| Boulevard Park | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | — |
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 White Center 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 White Center
Is White Center at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Center has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #201 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (79%) and river and rain flooding (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is White Center 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 White Center?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for White Center’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is White Center at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and White Center’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in White Center.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where White Center’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.