Natural hazards · Rapid Valley

Rapid Valley, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rapid Valley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Rapid Valley?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Rapid Valley to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and wildfires.

Inland flooding31%Wildfire21%Cold waves21%Hail10%Tornadoes6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Rapid Valley faces

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

Inland flooding

31% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Cold waves

21% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Rapid Valley flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Pennington County.

Disasters that hit Rapid Valley

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Rapid ValleyDeclared for Pennington County only

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

Around Rapid Valley

Rapid Valley and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Rapid Valleymostly inland floodingHigh

Green Valleymostly inland floodingHigh

Box Eldermostly inland floodingModerate

Rapid Citymostly inland floodingLow

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. Rapid Valley covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Rapid Valley’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Rapid Valley. 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 Rapid Valley total about $1.8M 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.