Natural hazards · Elma

Elma, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elma comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Elma?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elma to be higher than in 16% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves46%Inland flooding21%Hail11%Tornadoes10%Strong wind6%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Elma faces

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

Cold waves

46% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about 17 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

21% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 11% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter 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 Elma flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Elma.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Elma isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Richland County.

Disasters that hit Elma

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ElmaDeclared for Richland County only

Richland County has had 32 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Elma

Elma and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Greendalemostly cold wavesModerate

Waldomostly cold wavesModerate

Lienmostly inland floodingModerate

Minnesotamostly inland floodingModerate

Elmamostly cold wavesVery low

Duerrmostly cold wavesVery low

Brightwoodmostly cold wavesVery 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. Elma is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.