FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in West Mountain than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Mountain gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (66%), then river and rain flooding (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 West Mountain 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 West Mountain’s grade
Earthquakes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Mountain, and West Mountain’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 13%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of West Mountain’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across West Mountain: $886K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does West Mountain flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in West Mountain. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
West Mountain isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Utah County.The storms West Mountain remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Utah County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching West Mountain itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
West Mountain and its neighbors
West Mountain is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santaquin | C−more damage than 75% | wildfire | — |
| Payson | C−more damage than 77% | earthquakes | 1 |
| West Mountain | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Genola | Dmore damage than 93% | wildfire | — |
| Spring Lake | — | 657 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 West Mountain 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 West Mountain
Is West Mountain at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Mountain has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (66%) and river and rain flooding (20%). 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 West Mountain 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 West Mountain?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Mountain’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is West Mountain at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and West Mountain’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Mountain.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West Mountain’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.