Storms, floods and disasters in Westhope
Westhope isn’t graded for hazard risk: Westhope has 435 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Westhope 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
Wildfire
Winter storms
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); winter storms is FEMA’s “Winter Weather” (snow, sleet and freezing rain). 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 Westhope flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Westhope. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Westhope isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bottineau County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Westhope
Disasters that paid out in Westhope itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Westhope), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation$6K to the City of Westhope for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding and Ground Saturation$75K to the City of Westhope for repairs
Bottineau County has had 25 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 Westhope after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Westhope archive →Get ready for what Westhope 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.
- 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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 Westhope
Is Westhope 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 Bottineau County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Westhope?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Westhope’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 Westhope?
By FEMA money that reached Westhope, Severe Storms, Flooding and Ground Saturation (2000): $75K to the City of Westhope for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westhope.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Westhope’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.