Photo: Aualliso · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #3 of 42 in Montana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then wildfire (12%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.
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 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County 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
Wildfire
Earthquakes
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 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 12%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
A #3 of 42 in Montana; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Montana town has lower expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County has less expected damage per building than 95% of Montana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.8M a year in losses across Anaconda-Deer Lodge County: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Anaconda-Deer Lodge County flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Deer Lodge County.The storms Anaconda-Deer Lodge County remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Deer Lodge County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Anaconda-Deer Lodge County itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams, declared for Deer Lodge County
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding, declared for Deer Lodge County
- 20191 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Deer Lodge County has had 6 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Deer Lodge County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County archive →Anaconda-Deer Lodge County and its neighbors
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Butte-Silver Bow | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
Is Anaconda-Deer Lodge County at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #3 of 42 in Montana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and wildfire (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Anaconda-Deer Lodge County flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County since 1996, $8K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Anaconda-Deer Lodge County 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 Deer Lodge County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Anaconda-Deer Lodge County at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’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.