Benjamin and Olivia Meek House · Photo: Ntsimp · CC0For wildfire, Draper’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Draper gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #40 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (43%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2009.
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 Draper 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 Draper’s grade
Earthquakes are 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Draper, and Draper’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #40 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Draper’s residents live in 13 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, Draper has less expected damage per building than 67% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $29.4M a year in losses across Draper: $11.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Draper flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Draper, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Draper isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Salt Lake County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Draper
Disasters that paid out in Draper itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Draper), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Flooding$33K to the City of Draper for repairs
Salt Lake 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Salt Lake County, 2010–2021.
Old photos of Draper after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Draper archive →Draper and its neighbors
Draper is 2nd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Jordan | B+less damage than 66% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Draper | Bless damage than 56% | earthquakes | 7 |
| Riverton | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Sandy | B−more damage than 55% | earthquakes | 4 |
| Highland | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Alpine | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lehi | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Bluffdale | C−more damage than 83% | wildfire | — |
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 Draper 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Draper
Is Draper at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Draper has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #40 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (43%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Draper flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Draper since 2009, $157K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Draper 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 Salt Lake County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Draper?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Draper’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 Draper?
By FEMA money that reached Draper, Flooding (2011): $33K to the City of Draper for repairs.
Is Draper at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Draper’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Draper.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Draper’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.