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Natural hazards · Sultan

Sultan, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sultan comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 175 claims here since 1979. 10 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Sultan?

96
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sultan to be higher than in 96% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding66%Earthquakes29%Everything else5%
By hazard

What Sultan faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Earthquakes

29% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis
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 Sultan flood?

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

175paid claims since 1979
$3.4Mpaid to owners
24homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Torrential rain: 40 claims, $1.2M
  • 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver: 12 claims, $562K
  • Winter storm: 1 claim, $13K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (13) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 20% off flood insurance. Sultan is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Snohomish County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

20flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1flood-prone homes bought out and moved
Disasters that hit Sultan

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SultanDeclared for Snohomish County only
2025

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

27 households applied for aid $175K aid approved
2020

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

$107K to the City of Sultan for repairs
2015

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

$14K to the City of Sultan for repairs
2012

Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

$5K to the City of Sultan for repairs
2009

Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding

16 households applied for aid $14K aid approved $3K to the City of Sultan for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow

$8K to the City of Sultan for repairs
2007

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

2 households applied for aid
2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

97 households applied for aid $395K aid approved $27K to the City of Sultan for repairs
2003

Severe Storms and Flooding

15 households applied for aid $56K aid approved
2001

Earthquake

$1K to the City of Sultan for repairs
Snohomish County has had 33 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Sultan

Sultan and the towns around it

Startup: Very high, mostly inland floodingNorth Sultan: Very high, mostly inland floodingGold Bar: Very high, mostly inland floodingSultan: Very high, mostly inland flooding SultanStartupNorth Sultan
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Sultanmostly inland floodingVery high
Startupmostly inland floodingVery high
North Sultanmostly inland floodingVery 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. Sultan covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sultan’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Sultan. 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 Sultan total about $5.4M 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.

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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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