Photo: Creator: Javin Weaver · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Provo than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Provo gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #98 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (63%), then river and rain flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1980.
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 Provo 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 Provo’s grade
Earthquakes are 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Provo, and Provo’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 35% (lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #98 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Provo’s residents live in 31 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, Provo has more expected damage per building than 82% of Utah towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Provo has higher expected damage per building than 72% (#288 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $84.1M, is the 143th largest of those 400.
Does Provo flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Provo, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Provo is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Utah County.The storms Provo remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Utah County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Provo itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19838 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Landslides and Flooding, declared for Utah County
- 19842 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides and Flooding, declared for Utah County
- 20132 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 Provo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Provo archive →Provo and its neighbors
Provo is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orem | C+more damage than 58% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Springville | Cmore damage than 66% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Provo | C−more damage than 80% | earthquakes | 16 |
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 Provo 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.
- Provo residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Provo
Is Provo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Provo has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #98 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (63%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Provo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Provo since 1980, $146K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Provo 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 Provo?
Provo is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% 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 Provo at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Provo’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Provo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Provo’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.