Gillette City Hall (1936) · Photo: Mr. Satterly · CC0Gillette’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gillette gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #17 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then hail (29%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1978.
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 Gillette 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
Hail
Wildfire
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 Gillette’s grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gillette, and Gillette’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 29%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #17 of 28 in Wyoming; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gillette’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wyoming town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Gillette has more expected damage per building than 59% of Wyoming towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $15.7M a year in losses across Gillette: $8.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gillette flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gillette, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Gillette isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Campbell County.The storms Gillette remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Campbell County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Gillette itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197811 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Mudslides, declared for Campbell County
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Campbell County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Gillette after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gillette archive →Get ready for what Gillette 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- 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 Gillette
Is Gillette at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gillette has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #17 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and hail (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gillette flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Gillette since 1978, $31K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Gillette 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 Campbell County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gillette?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gillette’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Gillette at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Gillette’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gillette.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gillette’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.