Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0For wildfire, Wilson’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilson gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then earthquakes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017.
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 Wilson 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
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 Wilson’s grade
River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wilson, and Wilson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wilson’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.1M a year in losses across Wilson: $811K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wilson flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wilson, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wilson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Teton County.The storms Wilson remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Teton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wilson itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20172 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Straight-line Winds, declared for Teton County
Teton County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Teton County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Wilson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wilson archive →Wilson and its neighbors
Wilson has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Moose Wilson Road | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Wilson 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.
- 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 Wilson
Is Wilson at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilson has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and earthquakes (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wilson flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Wilson since 2017, $70K in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wilson 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 Teton County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wilson?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wilson’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Wilson at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Wilson’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wilson.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wilson’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.