Natural hazards · Garfield

Garfield, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Garfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 2001.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Garfield?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Garfield to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding48%Cold waves24%Tornadoes11%Strong wind5%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Garfield faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

24% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce 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 Garfield flood?

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

25paid claims since 2001

$345Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20012026

Biggest named events

Severe flooding: 3 claims, $20K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Roberts County.

Disasters that hit Garfield

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GarfieldDeclared for Roberts County only

Roberts County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Garfield

Garfield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Garfieldmostly inland floodingHigh

Wilmotmostly inland floodingHigh

Geneseomostly inland floodingHigh

Kilbornmostly cold wavesModerate

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. Garfield covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

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