Natural hazards · Olympia

Olympia, SC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Olympia comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1997.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Olympia?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Olympia to be higher than in 43% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding58%Hurricanes10%Tornadoes9%Heat waves6%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Olympia faces

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

Inland flooding

58% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 41% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Olympia flood?

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

11paid claims since 1997

$548Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

Biggest named events

October severe storms: 5 claims, $103K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Richland County.

Disasters that hit Olympia

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Richland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Olympia itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into OlympiaDeclared for Richland County only

Richland County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Olympia

Olympia and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Caycemostly inland floodingModerate

Olympiamostly inland floodingModerate

Columbiamostly inland floodingLow

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. Olympia covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Olympia’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Olympia. 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 Olympia total about $1.9M 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.