Natural hazards · St. Helens

St. Helens, OR natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Helens comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1980. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is St. Helens?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. Helens to be higher than in 77% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes67%Inland flooding20%Heat waves11%Everything else2%

By hazard

What St. Helens faces

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

Earthquakes

67% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

20% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Heat waves

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

HurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does St. Helens flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Helens, from FEMA’s records.

15paid claims since 1980

$221Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19802026

Biggest named events

Winter storm: 1 claim, $8K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. St. Helens isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Columbia County.

Disasters that hit St. Helens

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in St. Helens itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of St. Helens.

Brought FEMA money into St. HelensDeclared for Columbia County only

2008

Severe Winter Storm, Record and Near Record Snow

$12K to the City of St. Helens for repairs

2007

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

47 households applied for aid $146K aid approved $15K to the City of St. Helens for repairs

2006

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$2K to the City of St. Helens for repairs

2003

Severe Winter Storms

$8K to the City of St. Helens for repairs

Columbia County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. St. Helens covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to St. Helens’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of St. Helens. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across St. Helens total about $7.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.