Photo: Danenlott · Public domainDuchesne’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Duchesne gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then wildfire (23%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1983.
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 Duchesne 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 Duchesne’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Duchesne, and Duchesne’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 23%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Duchesne’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $830K a year in losses across Duchesne: $660K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Duchesne flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Duchesne, from FEMA’s records: 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Duchesne isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Duchesne County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Duchesne
Disasters that paid out in Duchesne itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Duchesne), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Flooding$55K to the City of Duchesne for repairs
Duchesne County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. 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 Duchesne County, 2007–2018.
Old photos of Duchesne after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Duchesne archive →Get ready for what Duchesne 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 Duchesne
Is Duchesne at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Duchesne has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and wildfire (23%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Duchesne flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Duchesne since 1983, $13K in all, or 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Duchesne 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 Duchesne County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Duchesne?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Duchesne’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 Duchesne?
By FEMA money that reached Duchesne, Flooding (2011): $55K to the City of Duchesne for repairs.
Is Duchesne at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Duchesne’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Duchesne.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Duchesne’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.