Photo: mbush_utah · CC BY 2.0For wildfire, Garland’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Garland gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #41 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (42%), then river and rain flooding (34%). 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 Garland 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 Garland’s grade
Earthquakes are 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Garland, and Garland’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 18%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #41 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Garland’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, Garland has less expected damage per building than 66% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Garland: $616K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Garland flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Garland. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Garland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Box Elder County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Garland
Disasters that paid out in Garland itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Garland), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$93K to the City of Garland for repairs
- 2005Flooding and Landslides$26K to the City of Garland for repairs
Box Elder County has had 6 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.
Old photos of Garland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Garland archive →Garland and its neighbors
Garland has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garland | Bless damage than 56% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Tremonton | C+more damage than 59% | earthquakes | — |
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 Garland 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 Garland
Is Garland at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Garland has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #41 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (42%) and river and rain flooding (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Garland 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 Box Elder County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Garland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Garland’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 Garland?
By FEMA money that reached Garland, Severe Winter Storms and Flooding (2017): $93K to the City of Garland for repairs.
Is Garland at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Garland’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Garland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Garland’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.