Providence LDS Chapel and Meetinghouse · Photo: Tricia Simpson · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Providence faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Providence gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #49 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then earthquakes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 2005.
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 Providence 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
Earthquakes
Wildfire
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 Providence’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Providence, and Providence’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 15%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #49 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Providence’s residents live in 5 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, Providence has less expected damage per building than 59% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Providence: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Providence flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 2005
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Providence, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Providence 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 Providence remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Cache County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Providence itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Cache County
- 20053 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20061 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 Providence after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Providence archive →Providence and its neighbors
Providence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millville | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Providence | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Logan | B−more damage than 52% | earthquakes | 9 |
| River Heights | C+more damage than 57% | 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 Providence 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Providence
Is Providence at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Providence has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #49 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and earthquakes (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Providence flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Providence since 2005, $67K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Providence 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 Providence?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Providence’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Providence at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Providence’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Providence.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Providence’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.