Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, West Point faces less hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Point gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #20 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (61%), then river and rain flooding (34%). 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 Point 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
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 Point’s grade
Earthquakes are 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Point, and West Point’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 34% (lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #20 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
West Point’s residents live in 4 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, West Point has less expected damage per building than 84% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across West Point: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does West Point flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in West Point. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
West Point isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Davis County.The storms West Point remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Davis County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching West Point itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Davis 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Davis County, 2017–2019.
West Point and its neighbors
West Point is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Point 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.
- 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 Point
Is West Point at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Point has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #20 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (61%) and river and rain flooding (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is West Point 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 Davis County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in West Point?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Point’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is West Point at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and West Point’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Point.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West Point’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.