Photo: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Vernal, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vernal gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #2 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then earthquakes (29%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.
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 Vernal 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
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 Vernal’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vernal, and Vernal’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 29% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #2 of 119 in Utah; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Vernal’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, Vernal has less expected damage per building than 99% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Vernal: $704K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Vernal flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2014
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vernal, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Vernal isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Uintah County.The storms Vernal remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Uintah County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Vernal itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20141 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Uintah 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Uintah County, 2007–2007.
Old photos of Vernal after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vernal archive →Vernal and its neighbors
Vernal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernal | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Maeser | A+less damage than 97% | 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 Vernal 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.
- 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 Vernal
Is Vernal at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vernal has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #2 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and earthquakes (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Vernal flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Vernal since 2014, $3K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Vernal 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 Uintah County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Vernal?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Vernal’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Vernal at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Vernal’s rate for it is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vernal.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Vernal’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.