Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Spearfish’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spearfish gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #18 of 35 in South Dakota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then wildfire (16%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1992.
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 Spearfish 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 Spearfish’s grade
River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Spearfish, and Spearfish’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #18 of 35 in South Dakota; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Spearfish’s residents live in 5 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, Spearfish has more expected damage per building than 50% of South Dakota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.2M a year in losses across Spearfish: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Spearfish flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Spearfish, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Spearfish is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Lawrence County.The storms Spearfish remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Lawrence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Spearfish itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20088 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
- 19922 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19951 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Lawrence County
Lawrence County has had 11 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lawrence County, 2002–2007.
Old photos of Spearfish after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Spearfish archive →Spearfish and its neighbors
Spearfish is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Spearfish | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Spearfish | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Mountain Plains | — | 350 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Spearfish 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.
- Spearfish residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Spearfish
Is Spearfish at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spearfish has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #18 of 35 in South Dakota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and wildfire (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Spearfish flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Spearfish since 1992, $206K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Spearfish 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 Lawrence County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Spearfish?
Spearfish is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% 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.
Is Spearfish at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Spearfish’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spearfish.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Spearfish’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.