Natural hazards · Salem

Salem, UT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Salem comes from earthquakes, 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 Salem?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Salem to be higher than in 64% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes70%Inland flooding16%Wildfire7%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Salem faces

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

Earthquakes

70% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

16% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 14% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Salem flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Utah County.

Disasters that hit Salem

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SalemDeclared for Utah County only

Utah County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around Salem

Salem and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Woodland Hillsmostly avalanchesVery high

Elk Ridgemostly avalanchesVery high

Spanish Forkmostly earthquakesHigh

Paysonmostly earthquakesHigh

Salemmostly earthquakesHigh

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. Salem covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Salem’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Salem. 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 Salem total about $3.5M 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.