FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Kearns as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kearns gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #56 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (69%), then river and rain flooding (26%). 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 Kearns 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 Kearns’ grade
Earthquakes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kearns, and Kearns’ rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #56 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kearns’ residents live in 9 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, Kearns has less expected damage per building than 53% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.0M a year in losses across Kearns: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kearns flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kearns. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Kearns 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Kearns
Disasters that paid out in Kearns itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Kearns), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Earthquake and Aftershocks15 households applied for aid$9K 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 Kearns after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kearns archive →Kearns and its neighbors
Kearns 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Jordan | Bless damage than 59% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Kearns | B−more damage than 53% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Taylorsville | C−more damage than 75% | earthquakes | 1 |
| West Valley City | C−more damage than 76% | earthquakes | 2 |
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 Kearns 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 Kearns
Is Kearns at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kearns has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #56 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (69%) and river and rain flooding (26%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Kearns 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 Kearns?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kearns’ 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 Kearns?
By FEMA money that reached Kearns, Earthquake and Aftershocks (2020): 15 households applied for aid, $9K approved.
Is Kearns at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Kearns’ rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kearns.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kearns’ 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.