Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Woodway as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodway gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (64%), then river and rain flooding (34%). 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 Woodway 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 Woodway’s grade
Earthquakes are 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodway, and Woodway’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 34% (lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts).
B− lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodway’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $750K a year in losses across Woodway: $590K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodway flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Woodway. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Woodway isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Snohomish County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Woodway
Disasters that paid out in Woodway itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Woodway), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Windstorm$21K to the City of Woodway for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$1K to the City of Woodway for repairs
- 2006Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides$1K to the City of Woodway for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Tidal Surge, Landslides, and Mudslides$6K to the City of Woodway for repairs
Snohomish County has had 31 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Snohomish County, 2022–2022.
Old photos of Woodway after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodway archive →Woodway and its neighbors
Woodway has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodway | B−less damage than 53% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Edmonds | Cmore damage than 74% | earthquakes | 19 |
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 Woodway 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 Woodway
Is Woodway at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodway has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (64%) and river and rain flooding (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Woodway 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 Snohomish County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Woodway?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodway’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 Woodway?
By FEMA money that reached Woodway, Severe Windstorm (2015): $21K to the City of Woodway for repairs.
Is Woodway at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Woodway’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodway.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodway’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.