Dover Church · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Dover faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2012.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Dover faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Dover’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dover, and Dover’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dover’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $551K a year in losses across Dover: $316K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dover flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dover, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dover isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bonner County.The storms Dover remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Bonner County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dover itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20121 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bonner County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bonner County, 2015–2025.
Old photos of Dover after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dover archive →Dover and its neighbors
Dover is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandpoint | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Dover | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Dover faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Dover
Is Dover at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dover flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Dover since 2012, $11K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dover in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Bonner County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dover?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dover’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dover at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Dover’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dover.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dover’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.