Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Onida
Onida isn’t graded for hazard risk: Onida has 644 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2010.
What Onida 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
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.
Does Onida flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Onida, from FEMA’s records.
1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Onida
Disasters that paid out in Onida itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Onida), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Severe Storm$1K to the City of Onida for repairs
Sully County has had 13 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 Onida after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Onida archive →Get ready for what Onida 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.
- 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 Onida
Does Onida flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Onida since 2010, $2K in all.
Is Onida 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 Onida?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Onida’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 Onida?
By FEMA money that reached Onida, Severe Storm (2005): $1K to the City of Onida for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Onida.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Onida’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.