Bountiful Historic District · Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainFEMA puts Bountiful’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bountiful gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #76 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (68%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1982.
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 Bountiful’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bountiful faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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.
What’s behind Bountiful’s grade
Earthquakes are 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bountiful, and Bountiful’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 7%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C #76 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bountiful’s residents live in 12 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, Bountiful has more expected damage per building than 64% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $27.1M a year in losses across Bountiful: $9.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bountiful flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bountiful, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bountiful is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Davis County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bountiful
Disasters that paid out in Bountiful itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bountiful), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Straight-line Winds$1.3M to the City of Bountiful for repairs
- 2020Earthquake and Aftershocks21 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storm$982K to the City of Bountiful for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Davis County has had 6 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Davis County, 2017–2019.
Old photos of Bountiful after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bountiful archive →Bountiful and its neighbors
Bountiful is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centerville | Bless damage than 58% | earthquakes | 4 |
| West Bountiful | B−more damage than 52% | earthquakes | 4 |
| North Salt Lake | C+more damage than 57% | earthquakes | — |
| Woods Cross | Cmore damage than 66% | earthquakes | 27 |
| Bountiful | Cmore damage than 67% | earthquakes | 20 |
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 Bountiful faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- Bountiful 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 Bountiful
Is Bountiful at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bountiful has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #76 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (68%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bountiful flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Bountiful since 1982, $164K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bountiful 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 Davis County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bountiful?
Bountiful 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.
What was the biggest storm in Bountiful?
By FEMA money that reached Bountiful, Straight-line Winds (2020): $1.3M to the City of Bountiful for repairs.
Is Bountiful at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Bountiful’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bountiful.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bountiful’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.