Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Sandy faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sandy gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #59 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (59%), then river and rain flooding (34%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1982.
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 Sandy 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
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 Sandy’s grade
Earthquakes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sandy, and Sandy’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #59 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sandy’s residents live in 30 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, Sandy has less expected damage per building than 51% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $49.7M a year in losses across Sandy: $20.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sandy flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sandy, 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.
Sandy 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 Sandy
Disasters that paid out in Sandy itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sandy), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Earthquake and Aftershocks26 households applied for aid$27K 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 Sandy after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sandy archive →Sandy and its neighbors
Sandy is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Jordan | B+less damage than 66% | earthquakes | 1 |
| West Jordan | Bless damage than 59% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Draper | Bless damage than 56% | earthquakes | 7 |
| Cottonwood Heights | B−more damage than 53% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Sandy | B−more damage than 55% | earthquakes | 4 |
| Midvale | Cmore damage than 74% | earthquakes | — |
| Granite | — | 908 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Sandy 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.
- 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 Sandy
Is Sandy at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sandy has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #59 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (59%) and river and rain flooding (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sandy flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Sandy since 1982, $18K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sandy 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 Sandy?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sandy’s 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 Sandy?
By FEMA money that reached Sandy, Earthquake and Aftershocks (2020): 26 households applied for aid, $27K approved.
Is Sandy at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Sandy’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sandy.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sandy’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.