Natural hazards · Cathlamet

Cathlamet, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cathlamet comes from tsunamis, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1996. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Cathlamet?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cathlamet to be higher than in 86% of U.S. communities, mostly from tsunamis and inland flooding.

Tsunamis34%Inland flooding30%Earthquakes16%Coastal flooding16%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Cathlamet faces

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

Tsunamis

34% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

30% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Coastal flooding

16% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningAvalanchesVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

HurricanesDrought

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 Cathlamet flood?

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

1paid claims since 1996

$5Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Wahkiakum County.

Disasters that hit Cathlamet

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Cathlamet itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Cathlamet.

Brought FEMA money into CathlametDeclared for Wahkiakum County only

2009

Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding

16 households applied for aid $71K aid approved

2007

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

13 households applied for aid $55K aid approved $1K to the Town of Cathlamet for repairs

2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

10 households applied for aid $45K aid approved $3K to the Town of Cathlamet for repairs

Wahkiakum County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Cathlamet

Cathlamet and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Cathlametmostly tsunamisVery high

Lower Elochomanmostly tsunamisVery high

East Cathlametmostly tsunamisVery high

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. Cathlamet is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.

Cathlamet, WA natural hazards

How exposed is Cathlamet?

What Cathlamet faces

Tsunamis

Inland flooding

Earthquakes

Coastal flooding

Lower here

Not a risk here

Does Cathlamet flood?

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

Cathlamet and the towns around it

How to read this page

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