Photo: Original uploader was Manderson164 at en.wikipedia · Public domainAlpine’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alpine gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #70 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then wildfire (32%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2002.
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 Alpine 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
Earthquakes
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 Alpine’s grade
River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alpine, and Alpine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 32%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #70 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Alpine’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Utah town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alpine has more expected damage per building than 58% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.4M a year in losses across Alpine: $3.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alpine flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2002
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alpine, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Alpine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Utah County.The storms Alpine remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Utah County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Alpine itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20021 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Utah County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Utah County, 2001–2026.
Old photos of Alpine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alpine archive →Alpine and its neighbors
Alpine is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Alpine 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Alpine
Is Alpine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alpine has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #70 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and wildfire (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Alpine flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Alpine since 2002, $48K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Alpine 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 Utah County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alpine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alpine’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Alpine at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Alpine’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alpine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alpine’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.