Blackhawk’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blackhawk gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #14 of 35 in South Dakota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then wildfire (25%). 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 Blackhawk 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
Hail
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 Blackhawk’s grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blackhawk, and Blackhawk’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 25%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #14 of 35 in South Dakota; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Blackhawk’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical South Dakota town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Blackhawk has less expected damage per building than 62% of South Dakota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Blackhawk: $902K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Blackhawk flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Blackhawk. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Blackhawk isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Meade County.The storms Blackhawk remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Meade County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Blackhawk itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Meade County has had 16 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Meade County, 2005–2006.
Blackhawk and its neighbors
Blackhawk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhawk | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Summerset | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Blackhawk 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.
- 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.
- 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 Blackhawk
Is Blackhawk at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blackhawk has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #14 of 35 in South Dakota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and wildfire (25%). 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 Blackhawk 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 Meade County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Blackhawk?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blackhawk’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Blackhawk at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Blackhawk’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blackhawk.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blackhawk’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.