Natural hazards · Harlem

Harlem, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Harlem comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Harlem?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Harlem to be higher than in 33% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and hail.

Cold waves38%Hail19%Strong wind17%Inland flooding12%Ice storms6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Harlem faces

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

Cold waves

38% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 17 times a year in the area

Hail

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Strong wind

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

12% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

6% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% 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 Harlem flood?

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

1paid claims since 2011

$2Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20112026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 1 claim, $2K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Sargent County.

Disasters that hit Harlem

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HarlemDeclared for Sargent County only

Sargent County has had 29 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Harlem

Harlem and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Sargentmostly cold wavesModerate

Harlemmostly cold wavesLow

Bowenmostly cold wavesLow

Vernermostly cold wavesLow

Vivianmostly cold wavesLow

Cogswellmostly cold wavesLow

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. Harlem covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Harlem’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Harlem. 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 Harlem total about $2.0M 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.