Natural hazards · William Hamilton

William Hamilton, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in William Hamilton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high 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 William Hamilton?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in William Hamilton to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding42%Cold waves25%Wildfire18%Tornadoes6%Everything else10%

By hazard

What William Hamilton faces

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

Inland flooding

42% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

25% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Wildfire

18% of expected damage

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

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% 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 William Hamilton flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in William Hamilton.

Disasters that hit William Hamilton

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in William Hamilton itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of William Hamilton.

Brought FEMA money into William HamiltonDeclared for Hyde County only

2011

Flooding

$7K to the Township of William Hamilton for repairs

Hyde County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around William Hamilton

William Hamilton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

William Hamiltonmostly inland floodingHigh

Riversidemostly cold wavesHigh

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. William Hamilton 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 William Hamilton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of William Hamilton. 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.