Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainFEMA puts Hyrum’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hyrum gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #21 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (53%), then river and rain flooding (41%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1982.
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 Hyrum 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 Hyrum’s grade
Earthquakes are 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hyrum, and Hyrum’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #21 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hyrum’s residents live in 4 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, Hyrum has less expected damage per building than 83% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.7M a year in losses across Hyrum: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hyrum flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hyrum, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hyrum isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cache County.The storms Hyrum remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Cache County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hyrum itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cache County has had 4 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 Hyrum after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hyrum archive →Hyrum and its neighbors
Hyrum 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyrum | B+less damage than 68% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Nibley | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Hyrum 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 Hyrum
Is Hyrum at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hyrum has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #21 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (53%) and river and rain flooding (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hyrum flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Hyrum since 1982, $910 in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hyrum 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 Cache County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hyrum?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hyrum’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hyrum at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Hyrum’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hyrum.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hyrum’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.