Photo: Derrellwilliams · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Holladay than in 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holladay gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #97 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (63%), then river and rain flooding (34%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2021.
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 Holladay 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
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 Holladay’s grade
Earthquakes are 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Holladay, and Holladay’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 34% (lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #97 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Holladay’s residents live in 11 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, Holladay has more expected damage per building than 81% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $23.6M a year in losses across Holladay: $9.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Holladay flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2021
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Holladay, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Holladay 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Holladay
Disasters that paid out in Holladay itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Holladay), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Straight-line Winds$144K to the City of Holladay for repairs
- 2020Earthquake and Aftershocks2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
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 Holladay after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Holladay archive →Holladay and its neighbors
Holladay is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Heights | B−more damage than 53% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Holladay | C−more damage than 79% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Murray | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 36 |
| Millcreek | Dmore damage than 85% | earthquakes | 1 |
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 Holladay 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.
- 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 Holladay
Is Holladay at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holladay has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #97 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (63%) and river and rain flooding (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Holladay flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Holladay since 2021, $20K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Holladay 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 Holladay?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Holladay’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 Holladay?
By FEMA money that reached Holladay, Straight-line Winds (2020): $144K to the City of Holladay for repairs.
Is Holladay at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Holladay’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Holladay.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Holladay’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.