Photo: Jackpeck at English Wikipedia · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Erda faces more hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Erda gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #101 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (65%), then river and rain flooding (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Erda faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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 Erda’s grade
Wildfire is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Erda, and Erda’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 20% (lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #101 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Erda’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, Erda has more expected damage per building than 85% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Erda: $855K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Erda flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Erda. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Erda isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tooele County.The storms Erda remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Tooele County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Erda itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Tooele County has had 5 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Tooele County, 2014–2026.
Erda and its neighbors
Erda is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stansbury Park | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Tooele | C+more damage than 62% | wildfire | 4 |
| Grantsville | Cmore damage than 73% | wildfire | 1 |
| Erda | C−more damage than 80% | wildfire | 0 |
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 Erda faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Erda
Is Erda at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Erda has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #101 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (65%) and river and rain flooding (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Erda 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 Tooele County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Erda?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Erda’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Erda at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Erda’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Erda.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Erda’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.