Photo: FloweringHearth at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5FEMA puts Woodinville’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodinville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #190 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (69%), then river and rain flooding (31%). 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 Woodinville 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 Woodinville’s grade
Earthquakes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodinville, and Woodinville’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 31% (lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #190 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodinville’s residents live in 7 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, Woodinville has more expected damage per building than 67% of Washington towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.9M a year in losses across Woodinville: $8.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodinville flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Woodinville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Woodinville 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 Woodinville
Disasters that paid out in Woodinville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Woodinville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides$4K to the City of Woodinville for repairs
- 2012Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$21K to the City of Woodinville for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$20K to the City of Woodinville for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides48 households applied for aid$121K aid approved$34K to the City of Woodinville for repairs
- 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$29K to the City of Woodinville for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides7 households applied for aid$32K to the City of Woodinville for repairs
Show all 7
- 2001Earthquake$23K to the City of Woodinville 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 Woodinville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodinville archive →Woodinville and its neighbors
Woodinville is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage Lake | C+more damage than 62% | earthquakes | 9 |
| Bothell | C−more damage than 76% | earthquakes | 6 |
| Kirkland | C−more damage than 79% | earthquakes | 6 |
| Woodinville | C−more damage than 83% | earthquakes | 0 |
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 Woodinville 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 Woodinville
Is Woodinville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodinville has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #190 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (69%) and river and rain flooding (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Woodinville 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 Woodinville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodinville’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 Woodinville?
By FEMA money that reached Woodinville, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2007): 48 households applied for aid, $121K approved, and $34K to the City of Woodinville for repairs.
Is Woodinville at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Woodinville’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodinville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodinville’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.