Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0Rapid City’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rapid City gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #4 of 35 in South Dakota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then wildfire (18%). Flood insurance has paid 35 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Rapid City’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Rapid City 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 Rapid City’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rapid City, and Rapid City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 18%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #4 of 35 in South Dakota; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rapid City’s residents live in 20 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical South Dakota town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rapid City has less expected damage per building than 91% of South Dakota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.7M a year in losses across Rapid City: $14.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rapid City flood? Sometimes: 35 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rapid City, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Rapid City is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pennington County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rapid City
Disasters that paid out in Rapid City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Rapid City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Straight-line Winds$508K to the City of Rapid City for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$32K to the City of Rapid City for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$2.7M to the City of Rapid City for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides and Mudslides$38K to the City of Rapid City for repairs
Pennington County has had 13 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pennington County, 2002–2021.
Old photos of Rapid City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rapid City archive →Rapid City and its neighbors
Rapid City is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Valley | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rapid City | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Box Elder | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Colonial Pine Hills | C−more damage than 78% | 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 Rapid City 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.
- Rapid City residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Rapid City
Is Rapid City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rapid City has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #4 of 35 in South Dakota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and wildfire (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Rapid City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 35 claims in Rapid City since 1978, $270K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Rapid City 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 Pennington County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rapid City?
Rapid City is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Rapid City?
By FEMA money that reached Rapid City, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2013): $2.7M to the City of Rapid City for repairs.
Is Rapid City at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Rapid City’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rapid City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rapid City’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.