Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainTooele’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tooele gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #70 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (58%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1984.
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 Tooele faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
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 Tooele’s grade
Wildfire is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tooele, and Tooele’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #70 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tooele’s residents live in 12 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, Tooele has more expected damage per building than 58% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.3M a year in losses across Tooele: $6.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tooele flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tooele, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Tooele isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tooele County.The storms Tooele remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Tooele County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Tooele itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20052 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding and Landslides, declared for Tooele County
- 19841 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides and Flooding, declared for Tooele County
- 20191 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Tooele County has had 5 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Tooele County, 2014–2026.
Old photos of Tooele after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tooele archive →Tooele and its neighbors
Tooele has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tooele | C+more damage than 62% | wildfire | 4 |
| Erda | C−more damage than 80% | wildfire | — |
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 Tooele faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Tooele
Is Tooele at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tooele has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #70 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (58%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tooele flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Tooele since 1984, $53K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Tooele 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 Tooele County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tooele?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tooele’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Tooele at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Tooele’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tooele.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tooele’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.