Natural disaster risk in Benson County, North Dakota
North Dakota · population 5,945 · FIPS 38005
Overall: very low risk
Benson County has a composite risk score of 24.3 out of 100 — higher than 24% of US counties. It ranks 18 of 53 in North Dakota (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, cold wave, ice storm.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.03% of Benson County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 12 weeks in a row.
Drought in Benson 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. |
Very low 24.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $5.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 13.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 93.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 14.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Benson County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively high 88 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 80 |
| Hail | Relatively low 69 |
| Drought | Relatively low 33 |
| Landslide | Very low 47 |
| Tornado | Very low 20 |
| Heat wave | Very low 11 |
| Lightning | Very low 8 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 6 |
| Earthquake | Very low 2 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Benson County
Federal declarations that designated Benson County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Benson County.
All FEMA declarations in North Dakota, 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 Benson County, North Dakota?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Benson County as very low, with a score of 24.3 out of 100 (higher than 24% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Benson County?
The hazards rated highest for Benson County are winter weather (relatively high), cold wave (relatively moderate), ice storm (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Benson County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Benson County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Benson County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Benson County.
Is Benson County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1.03% of Benson County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 12 weeks in a row.
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