Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Kanab than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kanab gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #5 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then wildfire (14%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015.
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 Kanab 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 Kanab’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kanab, and Kanab’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 14%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #5 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kanab’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Utah town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kanab has less expected damage per building than 97% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.0M a year in losses across Kanab: $935K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kanab flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kanab, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kanab isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kane County.The storms Kanab remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Kane County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kanab itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20151 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Kane 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kane County, 2012–2012.
Old photos of Kanab after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kanab archive →Get ready for what Kanab 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 Kanab
Is Kanab at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kanab has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #5 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and wildfire (14%). 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 Kanab flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Kanab since 2015, $11K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kanab 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 Kane County, 0.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Kanab?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kanab’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kanab at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Kanab’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kanab.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kanab’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.