Natural hazards · Geneva

Geneva, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Geneva comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Geneva?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Geneva to be higher than in 75% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding70%Earthquakes18%Cold waves7%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Geneva faces

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

Inland flooding

70% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

18% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 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 Geneva flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Geneva.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Whatcom County.

Disasters that hit Geneva

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GenevaDeclared for Whatcom County only

Whatcom County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Geneva

Geneva and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Sudden Valleymostly inland floodingHigh

Genevamostly inland floodingHigh

Bellinghammostly 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. Geneva 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 Geneva’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Geneva. 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.