Photo: Johnny Saldivar · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Grand Forks AFB than in 89% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grand Forks AFB gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979.
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 Grand Forks AFB 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
Tornadoes
Hail
Ice storms
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 Grand Forks AFB’s grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grand Forks AFB, and Grand Forks AFB’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 9%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Grand Forks AFB’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $640K a year in losses across Grand Forks AFB: $531K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Grand Forks AFB flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grand Forks AFB, from FEMA’s records: 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Grand Forks AFB isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grand Forks County.The storms Grand Forks AFB remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for Grand Forks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Grand Forks AFB itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Snowmelt and Flooding, declared for Grand Forks County
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Flooding,severe Winter Storms, Snowmelt, Spring Rains, declared for Grand Forks County
Grand Forks County has had 34 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 Grand Forks AFB after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grand Forks AFB archive →Grand Forks AFB and its neighbors
Grand Forks AFB has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Forks AFB | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Mekinock Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Grand Forks AFB 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.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- 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 Grand Forks AFB
Is Grand Forks AFB at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grand Forks AFB has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and tornadoes (16%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Grand Forks AFB flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Grand Forks AFB since 1979, $89K in all, or 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Grand Forks AFB 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 Grand Forks County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Grand Forks AFB?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grand Forks AFB’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Grand Forks AFB at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Grand Forks AFB’s rate for it is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grand Forks AFB.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grand Forks AFB’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.