Natural hazards · Brule

Brule, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Brule comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2014.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Brule?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Brule to be higher than in 45% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding38%Tornadoes26%Drought11%Hail9%Cold waves6%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Brule faces

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

Inland flooding

38% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

26% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Drought

11% of expected damage

Recorded about 24 times a year in the area

Hail

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Brule flood?

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

10paid claims since 2014

$469Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20142026

Biggest named events

June Midwest Flooding: 3 claims, $231K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Union County.

Disasters that hit Brule

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BruleDeclared for Union County only

Union County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Brule

Brule and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Fairviewmostly inland floodingHigh

Brulemostly inland floodingModerate

Elk Pointmostly inland floodingModerate

Spinkmostly 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. Brule covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Brule’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Brule. 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 Brule total about $2.1M 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.