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South Dakota · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Tripp County, SD

2 FEMA disaster declarations (2023–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Flood.

2
FEMA declarations
2
Major disasters
36
NRI risk · Very Low
Flood
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Tripp County in the top 64% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 22% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Tripp County compare?

Tripp County
2
South Dakota county avg
1.6
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Tripp County?

Tripp County, South Dakota has recorded 2 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2024, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 2.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 25% above the South Dakota county average of 1.6 and 47% below the national county average of 3.7.

The dominant disaster type on record is Flood, with 1 of 2 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 36.5/100 for this county (Very Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Very Low (roughly $8.3M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Very High) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Among the 18 modeled hazards, Cold Wave carries the county's highest rating, a mid-range Relatively Moderate.

Taken together, Tripp County reads as low relative risk on this historical lens, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county.

Risk Assessment

Risk Level

Low

vs. South Dakota Avg

+25%

State avg: 1.6

vs. National Avg

-47%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

2.0

Over 1 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Tripp County

Tripp 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 25, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 17 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 17 composite
Tripp County NRI risk profile FIPS 46123 · composite 17/100 (Low)
How to read this radar

The radar plots Tripp 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

2

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

46123

SD state code

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

Disaster Types

Flood 1
Winter 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 - 2 100.0%

of all 2 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Year Declarations
2024 1
2023 1

Disaster Declarations

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4807 SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING DR Flood 2024-08-15
4689 SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORM DR Winter Storm 2023-02-27

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

Very Low

Score: 36.5/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$8.3M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very High

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Lightning Very Low
Landslide 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 Tripp County, South Dakota had?
Tripp County, South Dakota has received 2 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2024. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Tripp County?
The most common disaster type in Tripp County is Flood, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Winter Storm (1).
How does Tripp County's disaster risk compare to the South Dakota average?
Tripp County has 2 disaster declarations, which is 25% higher than the South Dakota county average of 1.6 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 47% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Tripp County received?
Tripp County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 100% of all 2 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 was the worst year for disasters in Tripp County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Tripp County was 2023, with 1 declaration. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2023 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Tripp County?
Tripp County's 2 FEMA disaster declarations put it in the low-risk band, fewer federally recognized disasters than a typical U.S. county over the same span.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Tripp County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Tripp County, South Dakota has an overall risk score of 36.5 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $8.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Tripp County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Tripp County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Relatively Moderate) and Wildfire (Relatively Low). 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 Tripp County

Tripp County, SD has 2 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 25% above the South Dakota county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 2) - 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.