Independence’s biggest natural hazard is cold waves
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Independence comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.
What stands out about Independence’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
What Independence faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Cold waves
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Drought
Hail
Independence and its neighbors
Independence has the lowest rating of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy | Moderate | cold waves | 0 |
| Independence | Low | cold waves | 0 |
| Chester | Low | cold waves | 0 |
| Armour | Low | cold waves | 1 |
| Valley | Low | cold waves | 0 |
| East Choteau | Low | cold waves | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Does Independence flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Independence. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Independence isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Douglas County.How exposed is Independence?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 35% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,128 of the 1,384 South Dakota towns we cover.
Independence is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Federal disasters declared here
None of the disasters declared for Douglas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Independence itself in FEMA’s records.
Douglas County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Get ready for what Independence actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in January–March
The month each of Douglas County’s 16 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Independence’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Independence.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Independence.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.