Storms, floods and disasters in Rushmore
Rushmore isn’t graded for hazard risk: Rushmore has 362 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Rushmore 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
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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.
Does Rushmore flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rushmore. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rushmore isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nobles County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rushmore
Disasters that paid out in Rushmore itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Rushmore), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding15 households applied for aid$99K aid approved
- 2022Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$38K to the City of Rushmore for repairs
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$25K to the City of Rushmore for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm$56K to the City of Rushmore for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$4K to the City of Rushmore for repairs
Nobles County has had 17 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.
Old photos of Rushmore after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rushmore archive →Get ready for what Rushmore 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Rushmore
Is Rushmore 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 Nobles County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rushmore?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rushmore’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Rushmore?
By FEMA money that reached Rushmore, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 15 households applied for aid, $99K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rushmore.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rushmore’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.