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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Melstone · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Melstone

Melstone isn’t graded for hazard risk: Melstone has 80 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 9 declared for Musselshell County
By hazard

What Melstone faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

53%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms top 2% Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Cold waves Landslides Lightning Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 23% of Melstone’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Melstone flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Melstone. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Melstone isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Musselshell County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Melstone

Disasters that paid out in Melstone itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Melstone), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding15 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$4K to the Town of Melstone for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MelstoneMusselshell County only

Musselshell County has had 9 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Musselshell County, 1999–2020.

Were you here?

Old photos of Melstone after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Melstone archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Melstone faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Melstone

Is Melstone 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 Musselshell County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Melstone?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Melstone’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 Melstone?

By FEMA money that reached Melstone, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): 15 households applied for aid, $30K approved, and $4K to the Town of Melstone for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Melstone.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Melstone’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.