162 flood insurance claims·$2.3M paid·5 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Clark County, Washington. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
28% of Clark County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
134 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 19 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1996, with 64 claims and $962,234 paid, the year of High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
1 NOAA storm reports from Clark County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 5, 2024 |
| Nakia Creek Fire | Oct 16, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, And A T | Dec 1, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 14, 2006 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 2, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Earthquake | Feb 28, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Nov 4, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 17, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Oct 22, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Sep 29, 2013 | — |
| Flood | May 26, 2011 | $300,000 |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2011 | $1.2M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Nov 4, 2022. An atmospheric river set up over the Pacific Northwest, directing heavy rains and strong wind to into portions of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.
Flood · May 17, 2018. Snowmelt in combination with recent rains across the region led the Columbia River to rise above flood stage near Vancouver.
Flood · Oct 22, 2017. A very potent atmospheric river brought strong winds to the south Washington Coast and Willapa Hills on October 21st. What followed was a significant amount of rain, especially along the Coast and in the Willapa Hills. All this rain caused flooding on rivers near Rosburg and Washougal.
Flood · Mar 16, 2017. An atmospheric river brought heavy rain and flooding to parts of southwest Washington. In addition, heavy rain combined with snowmelt runoff in eastern Washington contributed to rising river levels on the Columbia River. While flooding on the Cowlitz River only occurred with heavy rain on the 16th, longer lasting flooding occurred on the Columbia River which remained above flood stage until April 4th.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Clark County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.