Natural hazards · White River

White River, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in White River comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is White River?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in White River to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding35%Cold waves24%Wildfire19%Tornadoes7%Everything else15%

By hazard

What White River faces

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

Inland flooding

35% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Cold waves

24% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Wildfire

19% of expected damage

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

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce 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 White River flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in White River.

Disasters that hit White River

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in White River itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of White River.

Brought FEMA money into White RiverDeclared for Mellette County only

2019

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

23 households applied for aid $11K aid approved

Mellette County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

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. White River is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to White River’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of White River. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.