Natural hazards · Elgin

Elgin, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elgin comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1995.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Elgin?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elgin to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves.

Cold waves52%Inland flooding14%Hail14%Strong wind9%Ice storms5%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Elgin faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Cold waves

52% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Recorded about 24 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

14% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 8% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Elgin flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elgin, from FEMA’s records.

5paid claims since 1995

$205Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

Biggest named events

Severe flooding: 1 claim, $13K

Disasters that hit Elgin

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Cavalier County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elgin itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into ElginDeclared for Cavalier County only

Cavalier County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Elgin

Elgin and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Elginmostly cold wavesVery low

Manillamostly cold wavesVery low

Waterloomostly cold wavesVery low

Langdonmostly cold wavesVery low

Langdonmostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Elgin covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Elgin’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Elgin. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Elgin total about $3.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.