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South Dakota · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Beadle County, SD

1 FEMA disaster declarations (2022–2022), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.

1
FEMA declarations
1
Major disasters
47
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Beadle County in the top 53% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Beadle County compare?

Beadle County
1
South Dakota county avg
1.6
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Beadle County?

Beadle County, South Dakota has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2022 and 2022, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 37% below the South Dakota county average of 1.6 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7.

The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 47.1/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Relatively Low (roughly $16.4M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Relatively Low) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Drought carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.

Taken together, Beadle County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.

Risk Assessment

Risk Level

Very Low

vs. South Dakota Avg

-37%

State avg: 1.6

vs. National Avg

-73%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

-

-

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Beadle County

Beadle County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 0, Tornado 25, Wildfire 25, Drought 48, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 22 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 22 composite
Beadle County NRI risk profile FIPS 46005 · composite 22/100 (Low)
How to read this radar

The radar plots Beadle County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.

FEMA Records

1

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

46005

SD state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Severe Storm 1

Declaration Types

What DR / EM / FM mean

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Major Disaster - 1 100.0%

of all 1 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Year Declarations
2022 1

Disaster Declarations

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4656 SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2022-06-29

Storm Events in South Dakota

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 6,137 7 21 $10.7M
Hail 5,130 0 3 $4.5M
High Wind 2,665 0 1 $35.0K
Winter Weather 2,307 21 52 $133.0K
Flood 1,596 5 0 $196.2M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 47.1/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Low

$16.4M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Low

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Drought Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Lightning Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in South Dakota

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Beadle County, South Dakota had?
Beadle County, South Dakota has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2022 to 2022. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Beadle County?
The most common disaster type in Beadle County is Severe Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Beadle County's disaster risk compare to the South Dakota average?
Beadle County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 37% lower than the South Dakota county average of 1.6 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Beadle County received?
Beadle County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in South Dakota?
The most common storm types in South Dakota include Thunderstorm Wind (6,137 events), Hail (5,130 events), High Wind (2,665 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Beadle County?
Beadle County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Beadle County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Beadle County, South Dakota has an overall risk score of 47.1 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $16.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Beadle County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Beadle County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate) and Ice Storm (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology

Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.

Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.

This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.

What this means for Beadle County

Beadle County, SD has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a very low historical disaster load, 37% below the South Dakota county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. South Dakota overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →

Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.