Photo: afiler from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Crystal
Crystal isn’t graded for hazard risk: Crystal has 103 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1978.
What Crystal 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
Ice storms
Tornadoes
Wildfire
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.
Does Crystal flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Crystal, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $205
Crystal isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pembina County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Crystal
Disasters that paid out in Crystal itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Crystal), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the City of Crystal for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation$11K to the City of Crystal for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Pembina County has had 33 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Crystal after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Crystal archive →Crystal and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Township | — | 67 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Elora Township | — | 37 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 Crystal 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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.
- 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 Crystal
Does Crystal flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Crystal since 1978, $25K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (1).
Is Crystal 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 Pembina County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Crystal?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Crystal’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 Crystal?
By FEMA money that reached Crystal, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $15K to the City of Crystal for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $204.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Crystal.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Crystal’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.