Natural hazards · Spanaway

Spanaway, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Spanaway comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Spanaway?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Spanaway to be higher than in 63% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes63%Inland flooding30%Heat waves5%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Spanaway faces

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

Earthquakes

63% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

30% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Spanaway flood?

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

1paid claims since 2006

$2Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20062026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Spanaway 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 Spanaway

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SpanawayDeclared for Pierce County only

2025

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

14 households applied for aid $6K aid approved

2009

Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding

7 households applied for aid

2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

9 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

2003

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid

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

Around Spanaway

Spanaway and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Parklandmostly earthquakesHigh

Spanawaymostly earthquakesHigh

McChord AFBmostly earthquakesHigh

Elk Plainmostly earthquakesModerate

Fredericksonmostly 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. Spanaway covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Spanaway’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Spanaway. 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 Spanaway total about $8.4M 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.