Conrad, C.E., Memorial Cemetery · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Evergreen’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Evergreen gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then earthquakes (42%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1980.
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 Evergreen 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
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 Evergreen’s grade
River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Evergreen, and Evergreen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 42%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #41 of 42 in Montana; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Evergreen’s residents live in 4 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, Evergreen has more expected damage per building than 98% of Montana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.6M a year in losses across Evergreen: $3.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Evergreen flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Evergreen, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Evergreen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Flathead County.The storms Evergreen remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Flathead County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Evergreen itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19974 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding, declared for Flathead County
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Flathead County
Flathead County has had 8 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Flathead County, 2000–2003.
Old photos of Evergreen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Evergreen archive →Evergreen and its neighbors
Evergreen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalispell | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Evergreen | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Evergreen 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.
- 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 Evergreen
Is Evergreen at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Evergreen has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and earthquakes (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Evergreen flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Evergreen since 1980, $9K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Evergreen 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 Flathead County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Evergreen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Evergreen’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Evergreen at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Evergreen’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Evergreen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Evergreen’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.