Natural disaster risk in Sanders County, Montana
Montana · population 12,399 · FIPS 30089
Overall: relatively low risk
Sanders County has a composite risk score of 47.4 out of 100 — higher than 47% of US counties. It ranks 19 of 56 in Montana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, landslide, wildfire.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 23 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.09% of Sanders County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 23 weeks in a row.
Drought in Sanders County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 47.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 31.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 96.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 18.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Sanders County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively high 88 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Avalanche | Relatively low 67 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 67 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 61 |
| Heat wave | Very low 31 |
| Drought | Very low 20 |
| Lightning | Very low 18 |
| Strong wind | Very low 7 |
| Hail | Very low 4 |
| Tornado | Very low 4 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Sanders County
Federal declarations that designated Sanders County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Sanders County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4902-MT (Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds), declared 7 Apr 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4902-MT | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 7 Apr 2026 | No |
| EM-3630-MT | Emergency | Severe Storms and Flooding | 19 Dec 2025 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Montana, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Sanders County, Montana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Sanders County as relatively low, with a score of 47.4 out of 100 (higher than 47% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Sanders County?
The hazards rated highest for Sanders County are winter weather (relatively high), landslide (relatively moderate), wildfire (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Sanders County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Sanders County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Sanders County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Sanders County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4902-MT (Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds), declared 7 Apr 2026.
Is Sanders County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.09% of Sanders County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 23 weeks in a row.
Every county in Montana, ranked · All states · Disasters near me