Washington State faces many geologic hazards, from tsunamis and landslides, to volcanoes and earthquakes. The coastal flood risk reduction course is offered through the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center and taught in local communities throughout Washington state. Flooding is the most prevalent natural hazard facing Washington state residents — and the most expensive. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs): FIRMs outline flood hazards in a community. While not every flood creates enough damage to merit such a declaration, most are severe enough to warrant intervention by local, state or federal authorities. Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters. Top Five Flood Prone Counties. If you live in an area where floods occur, you should know the following. A precursor to the event was an extended period of cold temperatures that brought snow to low elevations and created river ice on the east side of the Cascades. Since 1970, every county in Washington state has received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for flooding. Washington . Washington has a long history of damaging floods, with 32 Presidential Disaster Declarations over the last 60 years. This page details all of these hazards and what the Washington Division of Geology does to serve the public interest. L&I is responsible for inspecting electrical installations in Washington state that are compromised by flooding. Floodplain Management Program – As the state’s lead agency for flood risk reduction, weassist local governments with the National Flood Insurance Program and Washington floodplain management program.We provide technical assistance and training, planning and regulatory guidance, flood ordinance reviews, and community assistance visits to communities. Plan for evacuation including where you are going to go and the route you will follow. Washington State Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan Effective 2018-2023 10/1/2018 by WashingtŒ-, Emergency Oso PROUD Oso STRONG
Hazards Associated with Flooding.
It was Oct. 16, 1942, and as the United States battled the Japanese in the Pacific, wartime Washington was fighting what was perhaps the greatest flood in its history. The information on this page is intended for members of the general public and anyone looking to obtain FEMA flood hazard mapping products or information. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) activities in Washington have increasingly focused on threats from geologic and hydrologic hazards in the rapidly growing urban area in northwestern Washington. Prepare your home for a flood. The February 1996 flood was one of the most widespread across the whole Pacific Northwest and Washington: 24 of 39 Washington State counties were affected. What to do before a flood.
Technical assistance and planning. Landslide - Landslide is the movement of rock, soil and debris down a hillside or slope. Every county in the state has had a Disaster Declaration due to flooding. AD For additional information on flood risk, Landslides take lives, destroy homes, businesses, and public buildings, interrupt transportation, undermine bridges, derail train cars, cover clam and oyster beds, and damage utilities. Flood - Damage from flooding exceeds damage by all other natural hazards in Washington State. Tsunamis sources and hazards in Washington State ♦ Washington is vulnerable to tsunamis from both local and remote sources. Washington and California are the only states in the lower 48 to experience a major volcanic eruption in the past 150 years. ♦ Tsunamis generated offshore on the Cascadia subduction zone are the largest and most dangerous, and will arrive along Washington’s Pacific coastline in as little as 20 minutes after a major earthquake. This page provides an overview of the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC), points to some of FEMA’s flood mapping products, and provides a link to the full list of mapping products. Volcanic mudflows, landslides, earthquakes, and floods may have significant impacts on the region. A FIRM may include flood insurance risk zones, 1% and 0.2% annual chance floodplains, floodways, base flood elevations or depths, roads, streams, and more. Flood safety. Washington State Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan Executive Summary and Section Guide The Washington State Enhanced Hazard Mitigation (SEHMP) Plan profiles hazards, identifies risks and vulnerabilities, and proposes strategies and actions to reduce risks to people, property, the economy, the environment, infrastructure and first responders.