Natural hazards · Waller

Waller, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Waller comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 176 claims here since 1980.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Waller?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Waller to be higher than in 81% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes57%Inland flooding38%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Waller faces

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

Earthquakes

57% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

38% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Waller flood?

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

176paid claims since 1980

$4.8Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19802026

Biggest named events

Torrential rain: 3 claims, $21K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Waller 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 Waller

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WallerDeclared for Pierce County only

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

Around Waller

Waller and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Fifemostly earthquakesVery high

Wallermostly earthquakesVery high

Tacomamostly earthquakesHigh

Midlandmostly earthquakesHigh

Summitmostly earthquakesHigh

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. Waller covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Waller’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Waller. 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 Waller total about $6.9M 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.