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Natural hazards · Elma

Elma, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elma comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1979. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Elma?

90
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elma to be higher than in 90% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes70%Inland flooding28%Everything else2%
By hazard

What Elma faces

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

Earthquakes

70% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Elma flood?

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

20paid claims since 1979
$581Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Winter storm: 1 claim, $84K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Elma isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grays Harbor County.
Disasters that hit Elma

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ElmaDeclared for Grays Harbor County only
2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

13 households applied for aid $117K aid approved
2021

Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding

$505K to the City of Elma for repairs
2009

Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding

45 households applied for aid $249K aid approved $19K to the City of Elma for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow

$5K to the City of Elma for repairs
2007

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

220 households applied for aid $295K aid approved
2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

8 households applied for aid $28K aid approved
2003

Severe Storms and Flooding

10 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
Grays Harbor County has had 30 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
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. Elma 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 Elma’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Elma. 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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