Natural hazards · Alderton

Alderton, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Alderton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 53 claims here since 1990.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Alderton?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Alderton to be higher than in 78% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding44%Earthquakes36%Cold waves11%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Alderton faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Earthquakes

36% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Alderton flood?

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

53paid claims since 1990

$2.3Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19902026

Biggest named events

Torrential rain: 25 claims, $1.0M
2025-12-AtmosphericRiver: 1 claim, $34K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Pierce County.

Disasters that hit Alderton

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into AldertonDeclared for Pierce County only

Pierce County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Alderton

Alderton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Sumnermostly earthquakesVery high

McMillinmostly inland floodingVery high

Puyallupmostly earthquakesVery high

Aldertonmostly inland floodingHigh

Bonney Lakemostly earthquakesModerate

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. Alderton covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Alderton’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Alderton. 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 Alderton total about $4.7M 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.