Portland Flood Maps and Updates

Flooding is a potential issue for many different parts of the greater Portland metro area. We live in a wet climate and floods to occur from time to time. Flood risk maps and corresponding flood insurance requirements are constantly on the move as waterways do not stay static. If a home near a waterway is not in a flood zone one year, doesn’t mean it won’t be in the next.

portland real estate flood map

New Portland Flood Map for 2021

January 4, 2021

Floods don’t just destroy homes and carry away vehicles, they also destroy infrastructure and cut off access to the outside world, sometimes for days at a time. When shopping for a home in Portland, having the right tools at hand to understand flood risk is essential. In some cases, it can be pretty clear that a home is directly in a flood zone where floods happen frequently. But more often, the answer is less clear-cut. First, we’ll explore the traditional way to view flood zones using FEMA and other government maps. Then we’ll get into detail on an exciting new tool that gives address-by-address information about flood risk. How to view flood zones using FEMA and City of Portland Flood...

portland flood map

Portland Flood Maps: FEMA 2020 Update

January 27, 2020

Climate change, winter storms, questionable levees — the average home shopper has many good reasons to consider Portland flood risk before they buy. Your buyers’ real estate agent is a great resource, and should have information on hand about what the flood risk is for a home that you’re interested in.  For those who prefer the DIY approach, Portland flood maps available online allow you to check the potential for flooding at any given address. The maps we use most often in our real estate office are the Portland Flood Hazard Map and the FEMA map: Portland Flood Hazard Map The City of Portland has an impressive collection of online maps that allow the average person to find out just...

portland flood fire quake map

Portland Natural Disaster Map 2019 – Floods, Fires, Quakes, and Slides!

March 1, 2019

We here in the Pacific Northwest enjoy a relatively mild climate year-round — no polar vortexes, and just a few hot days in the summer. In Portland and the surrounding metro areas, most homeowners don’t worry too much about natural disaster, but there are some specific threats to be aware of. Knowing how and where disaster might strike is the best way to be prepared — and if you can avoid buying a home in a high-risk area, that doesn’t hurt either.  Wildfires. Despite Oregon’s reputation as a moist state, most of its landscapes are naturally dry, and fire is a necessary recurrence for these areas. The Willamette Valley (where Portland is located) and the coast are two exceptions. With...

portland housing flood risk

Is your Home a Flood Risk? Portland Housing Market

September 22, 2017

With floods in the news lately, it’s hard not to think about the risk to your own home, whether it’s in downtown Portland or along one of the many creeks, rivers and wetlands in our metro area. As a real estate agent, my job is to fully inform anyone buying a home in Portland what the challenges and risks may be with any particular property. When it comes to understanding flood risk, the City of Portland department of Environmental Services and other agencies have done most of the legwork. With online mapping tools, it’s pretty easy to find out if water has ever risen to the level of the home and whether it is expected to do it again in the...

portland flood risk

Check your Portland Home’s Flood Risk

February 27, 2017

With floods happening across the United States this winter and spring, many home owners – and home buyers – want to know, what is the risk where we live? Is your Portland home a flood risk? Thankfully, the City of Portland makes information readily available through online maps. There are two ways to check on your flood risk. Head to portlandmaps.com and enter in your address, or the address of the Portland home you are interested in. In the panel on the right side, scroll down to “Public Safety” and click on it to pull down the information. Below the crime data you’ll find a “Hazard” section. There, it will tell you whether the property is in a FEMA Special...