Dillon City Library · Photo: Robstutz · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Dillon’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dillon gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #30 of 42 in Montana. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (56%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1982.
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 Dillon faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Dillon’s grade
Earthquakes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dillon, and Dillon’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 42% (lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #30 of 42 in Montana; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dillon’s residents live in 2 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, Dillon has more expected damage per building than 71% of Montana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Dillon: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dillon flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dillon, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dillon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Beaverhead County.The storms Dillon remembers
None of the 1 disasters declared for Beaverhead County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dillon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Beaverhead County has had 1 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms. 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 Beaverhead County, 2000–2026.
Old photos of Dillon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dillon archive →Get ready for what Dillon faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Dillon
Is Dillon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dillon has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #30 of 42 in Montana. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (56%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dillon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Dillon since 1982, $2K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dillon 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 Beaverhead County, 0.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Dillon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dillon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dillon at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Dillon’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dillon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dillon’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.