Natural hazards · St. John

St. John, ND natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. John comes from wildfires, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. John?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. John to be higher than in 26% of U.S. communities, mostly from wildfires and cold waves.

Wildfire35%Cold waves33%Inland flooding15%Ice storms5%Winter weather5%Everything else7%

By hazard

What St. John faces

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

Wildfire

35% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

33% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about 23 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

15% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Ice storms

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Winter weather

5% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 20 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 St. John flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Rolette County.

Disasters that hit St. John

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in St. John itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of St. John.

Brought FEMA money into St. JohnDeclared for Rolette County only

2011

Flooding

$5K to the City of St. John for repairs

2009

Severe Storms and Flooding

30 households applied for aid $29K aid approved

2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation

$2K to the City of St. John for repairs

2001

Severe Storms, Flooding, & Ground Saturation

$6K to the City of St. John for repairs

2000

Severe Storms, Flooding and Ground Saturation

$12K to the City of St. John for repairs

1999

Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, and Tor

$4K to the City of St. John for repairs

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

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. St. John 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 St. John’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of St. John. 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.