Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Orem as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orem gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #63 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (77%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2013.
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 Orem 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 Orem’s grade
Earthquakes are 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orem, and Orem’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #63 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Orem’s residents live in 28 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, Orem has more expected damage per building than 53% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $48.7M a year in losses across Orem: $23.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Orem flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orem, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Orem is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Utah County.The storms Orem remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Utah County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Orem itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20131 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20241 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Utah County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Utah County, 2001–2026.
Old photos of Orem after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Orem archive →Orem and its neighbors
Orem is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Orem 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.
- Orem residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Orem
Is Orem at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orem has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #63 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (77%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Orem flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Orem since 2013, $18K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Orem 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 Utah County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Orem?
Orem is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Orem at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Orem’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orem.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Orem’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.