Platte County Courthouse · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0For wildfire, Wheatland’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wheatland gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #22 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then wildfire (12%). 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 Wheatland 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
Wildfire
Hail
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 Wheatland’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wheatland, and Wheatland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 12%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #22 of 28 in Wyoming; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wheatland’s residents live in 2 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, Wheatland has more expected damage per building than 78% of Wyoming towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Wheatland: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wheatland flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wheatland. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Wheatland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Platte County.The storms Wheatland remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Platte County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wheatland itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Platte County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Platte County, 2012–2024.
Wheatland and its neighbors
Wheatland has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatland | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Chugcreek | — | 160 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 Wheatland 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Wheatland
Is Wheatland at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wheatland has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #22 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and wildfire (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Wheatland 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 Platte County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Wheatland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wheatland’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Wheatland at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Wheatland’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wheatland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wheatland’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.