Photo: GreenGlass1972 · Public domainFor wildfire, Willard’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, 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.
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 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
Earthquakes
Wildfire
Strong wind
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 Willard’s grade
River and rain flooding is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Willard, and 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.
B− lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Willard’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $943K a year in losses across Willard: $339K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Willard flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Willard. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
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.The storms Willard remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Box Elder County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Willard itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Willard and its neighbors
Willard is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry | B−less damage than 54% | earthquakes | — |
| Willard | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Willard
Is Willard at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, 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 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 Willard?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Willard’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Willard at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Willard’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Willard.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where 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.