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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in South Willard · FEMA

For wildfire, South Willard’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Willard gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%), then earthquakes (26%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 49%Earthquakes 26%Wildfire 19%

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

less than 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Utah · lower than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
49% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 6 declared for Box Elder County
By hazard

What South Willard 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

49%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Earthquakes

26%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Winter storms Hail Ice storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 46% of South Willard’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind South Willard’s grade

River and rain flooding is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Willard, and South Willard’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 19%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where South Willard sits
South Willard
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of South Willard’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding49%Earthquakes26%Wildfire19%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $878K a year in losses across South Willard: $315K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of South Willard’s 1,840 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Willard city (1,978 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does South Willard flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in South Willard. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

South Willard 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.
Disasters

The storms South Willard remembers

None of the 6 disasters declared for Box Elder County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Willard itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in South WillardBox Elder County only

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what South Willard faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in South Willard

Is South Willard at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Willard has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%) and earthquakes (26%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is South Willard 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 South Willard?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Willard’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is South Willard at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and South Willard’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Willard.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Willard’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.