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Downtown De Smet South Dakota 9-5-2010Photo: Ross Griff · CC BY 2.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in De Smet · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in De Smet than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, De Smet gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then tornadoes (21%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 59%Tornadoes 21%Wildfire 6%

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

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in South Dakota · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 22 declared for Kingsbury County
By hazard

What De Smet 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

59%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

21%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Earthquakes Lightning top 5% Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 28% of De Smet’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind De Smet’s grade

River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in De Smet, and De Smet’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 21%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where De Smet sits
De Smet
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of De Smet’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding59%Tornadoes21%Wildfire6%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across De Smet: $606K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of De Smet’s 1,056 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Le Sueur township (146 residents) and Manchester township (73 residents) and Iroquois township (68 residents) and Esmond township (45 residents) and Bancroft town (13 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does De Smet flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in De Smet. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

De Smet isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Kingsbury County.
Disasters

The storms De Smet remembers

None of the 22 disasters declared for Kingsbury County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching De Smet itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in De SmetKingsbury County only

Kingsbury County has had 22 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what De Smet faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in De Smet

Is De Smet at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, De Smet has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and tornadoes (21%). 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 De Smet 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 Kingsbury County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in De Smet?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for De Smet’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is De Smet at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and De Smet’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in De Smet.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where De Smet’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.