Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Perry faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perry gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #44 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (52%), then river and rain flooding (36%). 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 Perry 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
Wildfire
Strong wind
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 Perry’s grade
Earthquakes are 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Perry, and Perry’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #44 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Perry’s residents live in 2 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, Perry has less expected damage per building than 64% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Perry: $856K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Perry flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Perry. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Perry isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Box Elder County.The storms Perry remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Box Elder County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Perry itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Box Elder County has had 6 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.
Perry and its neighbors
Perry has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry | B−less damage than 54% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Willard | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brigham City | C−more damage than 79% | 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 Perry 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Perry
Is Perry at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Perry has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #44 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (52%) and river and rain flooding (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Perry 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 Box Elder County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Perry?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Perry’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Perry at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Perry’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Perry.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Perry’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.