Know Your Hazards

Stay Prepared

Washington State experiences significant impacts from natural hazards including:

• Earthquakes
• Floods
• Storms
• Volcanoes
• Wildland fires

Beyond natural hazards, there are technological hazards, including nuclear power plant incidents, chemical weapon stockpiles, dam failures, and hazardous material spills. All of these require assessment and determination by state, county, and city officials in order to organize resources so loss can be prevented or minimized.

Flooding is the most prevalent natural hazard facing Washington residents. Learn about flooding and other natural hazards likely to occur in our region.

Resources

Multiple agencies provide helpful information on hazards facing our region, including King County Emergency Management (KCEM) and the Washington State Emergency Management Division (WA EMD). 

• Earthquake hazards - KCEM, WA EMD
• Floods and Redmond Environment - Flood Protection and Redmond Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan, KCEM
• Landslide hazards - KCEM, WA EMD
• Natural Gas Safety - Pipelines Hazard Profile section of the Washington State Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF) (page 242)
• Winter storm hazards - KCEM, WA EMD, Ready.gov
• Volcanic activity hazards - WA EMD
• Utility outage hazards - KCEM