Silverdale’s biggest natural hazard is earthquakes
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Silverdale comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2007. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Silverdale’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Silverdale flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2007
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Silverdale, from FEMA’s records.
- The Winter storm1 claim · $177K
Silverdale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kitsap County.How exposed is Silverdale?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 73% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes.
Calmer than 364 of the 639 Washington towns we cover.
Silverdale covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
What Silverdale faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Inland flooding
2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Silverdale
Disasters that paid out in Silverdale itself (aid to households or repair grants to Silverdale) and its biggest flood years.
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides62 households applied for aid$57K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid
Kitsap County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Silverdale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Silverdale archive →Get ready for what Silverdale actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Silverdale and its neighbors
Silverdale ranks 2nd calmest of 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico | High | earthquakes | 0 |
| Silverdale | High | earthquakes | 2 |
| Bangor Base | High | earthquakes | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in December–January
The month each of Kitsap County’s 14 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Silverdale’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Silverdale.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Silverdale, expected losses total about $10.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Silverdale.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.