Photo: Montanabw · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Great Falls faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Falls gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #27 of 42 in Montana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 53 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Great Falls’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Great Falls 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 Great Falls’ grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Great Falls, and Great Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #27 of 42 in Montana; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Great Falls’ residents live in 20 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, Great Falls has more expected damage per building than 63% of Montana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $34.4M a year in losses across Great Falls: $15.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Great Falls flood? Sometimes: 53 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Great Falls, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Great Falls is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Cascade County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Great Falls
Disasters that paid out in Great Falls itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Great Falls), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding63 households applied for aid$54K aid approved$254K to the City of Great Falls for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Cascade County has had 4 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 Great Falls after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Great Falls archive →Great Falls and its neighbors
Great Falls 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malmstrom AFB | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Great Falls | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Black Eagle | — | 781 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gibson Flats | — | 158 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Great Falls 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.
- Great Falls residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Great Falls
Is Great Falls at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Falls has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #27 of 42 in Montana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Great Falls flood?
Flood insurance has paid 53 claims in Great Falls since 1978, $145K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Great Falls 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 Cascade County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Great Falls?
Great Falls is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Great Falls?
By FEMA money that reached Great Falls, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): 63 households applied for aid, $54K approved, and $254K to the City of Great Falls for repairs.
Is Great Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Great Falls’ rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Great Falls.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Great Falls’ 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.