Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in New Town than in 88% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Town gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #5 of 23 in North Dakota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (39%), then hail (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 New Town 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
Hail
Wildfire
Tornadoes
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 New Town’s grade
River and rain flooding is 39% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Town, and New Town’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 19%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
A #5 of 23 in North Dakota; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of New Town’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical North Dakota town has lower expected damage than 59% of U.S. towns; within the state, New Town has less expected damage per building than 82% of North Dakota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across New Town: $568K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does New Town flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in New Town. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
The storms New Town remembers
None of the 24 disasters declared for Mountrail County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching New Town itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Mountrail County has had 24 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.
New Town and its neighbors
New Town has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Town | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Osborn Township | — | 117 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 New Town 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 New Town
Is New Town at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Town has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #5 of 23 in North Dakota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (39%) and hail (19%). 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.
Is New Town 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.
How much is flood insurance in New Town?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Town’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is New Town at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (39%), and New Town’s rate for it is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Town.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Town’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.