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Natural hazards · Bristol

Bristol, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bristol comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1997. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Bristol?

18
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bristol to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves33%Inland flooding23%Strong wind15%Tornadoes10%Hail10%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Bristol faces

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

Cold waves

33% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places
Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

23% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 12% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

15% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Hail

10% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Bristol flood?

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

3paid claims since 1997
$56Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19972026
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Bristol isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Day County.
Disasters that hit Bristol

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BristolDeclared for Day County only
2011

Flooding

$27K to the Township of Bristol for repairs
2010

Flooding

$21K to the Township of Bristol for repairs
2009

Severe Storms and Flooding

$9K to the Township of Bristol for repairs
2007

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$6K to the Township of Bristol for repairs
Day County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Bristol

Bristol and the towns around it

Andover: Very low, mostly cold wavesKidder: Very low, mostly cold wavesValley: Very low, mostly cold wavesUnion: Very low, mostly cold wavesScotland: Very low, mostly cold wavesGroton: Low, mostly inland floodingEast Hanson: Low, mostly inland floodingFarmington: Very low, mostly cold wavesWebster: Very low, mostly cold wavesLynn: Very low, mostly cold wavesButler: Very low, mostly cold wavesTroy: Very low, mostly cold wavesHomer: Very low, mostly cold wavesBristol: Very low, mostly cold waves BristolAndoverKidderValleyUnion
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Bristolmostly cold wavesVery low
Andovermostly cold wavesVery low
Kiddermostly cold wavesVery low
Valleymostly cold wavesVery low
Unionmostly 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. Bristol covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bristol’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Bristol. 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 Bristol total about $2.9M 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.

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You’re in Bristol, SDDay CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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