Natural hazards · Bridgewater

Bridgewater, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bridgewater comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bridgewater?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bridgewater to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding63%Tornadoes17%Drought5%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Bridgewater faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Drought

5% of expected damage

Recorded about 12 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Bridgewater flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: McCook County.

Disasters that hit Bridgewater

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BridgewaterDeclared for McCook County only

2019

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

11 households applied for aid $60K aid approved $5K to the City of Bridgewater for repairs

2013

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$2K to the City of Bridgewater for repairs

McCook County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Bridgewater

Bridgewater and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bridgewatermostly inland floodingModerate

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