Natural disaster risk in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota
South Dakota · population 13,666 · FIPS 46102
Overall: relatively low risk
Oglala Lakota County has a composite risk score of 49.8 out of 100 — higher than 49% of US counties. It ranks 10 of 66 in South Dakota (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, lightning, wildfire.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 36 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Oglala Lakota County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 36 weeks in a row.
Drought in Oglala Lakota 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 49.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $8.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 28.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 99.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 0.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Oglala Lakota County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 89 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 87 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 65 |
| Hail | Relatively low 57 |
| Drought | Relatively low 40 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 40 |
| Landslide | Very low 61 |
| Heat wave | Very low 33 |
| Earthquake | Very low 25 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 19 |
| Ice storm | Very low 11 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Oglala Lakota County
Federal declarations that designated Oglala Lakota 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 Oglala Lakota County.
All FEMA declarations in South 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 Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Oglala Lakota County as relatively low, with a score of 49.8 out of 100 (higher than 49% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Oglala Lakota County?
The hazards rated highest for Oglala Lakota County are strong wind (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), wildfire (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Oglala Lakota County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Oglala Lakota County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Oglala Lakota County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Oglala Lakota County.
Is Oglala Lakota County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Oglala Lakota County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 36 weeks in a row.
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