Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Sargent County, ND

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
38081
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2031-07-06. Plan: Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038), approved 2026-07-07.

Since the plan was approved on 2026-07-07: no new hazard declaration; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Cold Wave ($2,047,737 a year), Hail ($1,067,291) and Strong Wind ($997,171).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2031-07-06
Plan:
Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)
Approved:
2026-07-07
Days to expiry:
1,740

What changed since your last plan (approved 2026-07-07)

New federal declarations:
none
Storm Events records since approval:
not yet covered: Storm Events data run through 2026-06-30, before the approval date, so there is no period to count yet
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 0
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiry
Sargent CountyCountyApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740
Cayuga cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740
Cogswell cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740
Forman cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740
Gwinner cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740
Havana cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740
Milnor cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740
Rutland cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06Sargent County, ND Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 (FEMA plan 112038)2026-07-072031-07-061,740

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countWhy this hazard can be left outNRI Not Applicable, no declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996Storm Events coverage note
1Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$401$991,460$1,055,877$2,047,73768Includes 5 Frost/Freeze records (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
2HailRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$45,020$1,010,782$11,490$1,067,291161
3Strong WindRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$98,161$847,330$51,680$997,171123Includes 31 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
4Inland FloodingVery LowVery Low$661,611$12$0$661,62345
5Ice StormRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$264,603n/a$20,234$284,8388
6TornadoVery LowVery Low$212,333$11,273$30,372$253,97817
7Winter WeatherRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$66,462$431$66,359$133,252153
8WildfireVery LowVery Low$38,166$202$1,718$40,0850Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
9Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$221$2$26,265$26,4874
10LightningVery LowVery Low$1,706n/a$4,772$6,4791
11EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$2,418n/a$503$2,921Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
12DroughtVery LowVery Lown/a$2,477n/a$2,4778
13LandslideVery LowVery Low$2n/a$88$900Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
HurricaneNot ApplicableNot Applicable0NRI rates hurricane Not Applicable for this county, and no counted federal declaration for this county names it (EM-3247-ND names it but is not counted as a local occurrence; see B1-d).No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 9742 (Very Low, 9.1); tract 9740 (Very Low, 6.5)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 9742 (Very Low, 79.8); tract 9740 (Very Low, 54.4)
Tornadotract 9742 (Relatively Moderate, 68.1); tract 9740 (Relatively Moderate, 57.9)
Wildfiretract 9742 (Relatively Moderate, 89.7); tract 9740 (Relatively Low, 84.4)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 9742 is Census Tract 9742). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill63 records, 1996 to 2026 (63 zone-level)1 day to 7 days (median 2 days); 51 with a recorded value7 consecutive days, 1996-12-21 to 1996-12-27, zone-levelCold/Wind Chill, 2003-03-08, $5,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2003 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).Cold/Wind Chill records from May to September (a frost night, not a cold wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage5 records, 2015 to 2026 (5 zone-level)No crop damage reported in 5 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)8 records, 2006 to 2024 (8 zone-level)15 days to 63 days (median 22 days); 5 with a recorded value63 days (about 2.1 months), 2022-10-18 to 2022-12-19, a run of 3 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)177 records, 1965 to 20250.75 in to 2.75 in (median 1 in); 177 with a recorded value2.75 in hail, 2018-07-02Hail, 2003-07-03, $10,000 property; $5,000,000 crops (2003 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Forman city (18 records), Cayuga city (14 records), Cogswell city (14 records), Gwinner city (14 records), Milnor city (14 records), Havana city (11 records), Rutland city (11 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)4 records, 2001 to 2020 (4 zone-level)1 day to 5 days (median 1.5 days); 4 with a recorded value5 consecutive days, 2011-07-16 to 2011-07-20, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)8 records, 1996 to 2023 (8 zone-level)Ice Storm, 1997-04-04, $6,000,000 property; crops not reported (1997 dollars); NWS zone NDZ052Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)45 records, 1996 to 2019 (11 zone-level)Flood, 1998-06-24, $250,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars); NWS zone NDZ052Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Milnor city (7 records), Cayuga city (4 records), Havana city (3 records), Rutland city (3 records), Forman city (2 records), Gwinner city (2 records). Zone-level records (11) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)1 record, 2008Lightning, 2008-10-11, $5,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Rutland city (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)31 records, 1997 to 2026 (31 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 66 kt (76 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 31 with a recorded value66 kt (76 mph), measurement type not recorded, High Wind, 1999-11-01; NWS zone NDZ052Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)112 records, 1960 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 110 kt (127 mph) (median 55 kt (63 mph)); 87 with a recorded value110 kt (127 mph) measured gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2011-07-10Thunderstorm Wind, 2003-07-03, $40,000 property; $5,000,000 crops (2003 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Havana city (11 records), Forman city (8 records), Rutland city (8 records), Cayuga city (7 records), Cogswell city (6 records), Gwinner city (6 records), Milnor city (6 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)26 records, 1956 to 2021F/EF0 to F/EF3 (median F/EF0); 25 with a recorded valueF3 tornado, 1973-07-01, 33 yd wide, $250,000 property; crops not recorded (1973 dollars)Tornado, 2011-07-10, $800,000 property; $2,000,000 crops (2011 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Cogswell city (3 records), Cayuga city (2 records), Havana city (2 records), Forman city (1 record), Gwinner city (1 record), Milnor city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)153 records, 1996 to 2026 (153 zone-level)Blizzard, 1997-04-05, $6,000,000 property; crops not reported (1997 dollars); NWS zone NDZ052Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 32 declarations covering 29 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Storm Events records since the plan: not yet covered: Storm Events data run through 2026-06-30, before the approval date, so there is no period to count yet.

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2024-02-152023-12-25DR-4760-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm and Straight-Line WindsWinter Weather (primary); also designated: Strong Windno Public Assistance recordedwithin last 5 years
2023-07-052023-04-10DR-4717-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$65,888.24within last 5 years
2023-02-052022-11-09DR-4686-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Straight-Line WindsWinter Weather (primary); also designated: Strong Windno Public Assistance recordedwithin last 5 years
2022-07-132022-04-22DR-4660-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm and FloodingInland Flooding; Winter Weather$88,546.51within last 5 years
2020-07-092020-04-01DR-4553-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$93,379.97
2020-04-012020-01-20DR-4509-NDMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3477-NDEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4509
2020-01-212019-10-09DR-4475-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$204,483.26
2019-06-122019-03-21DR-4444-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$128,275.36
2011-05-102011-02-14DR-1981-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$696,365.32
2010-04-302010-02-26DR-1907-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$358,028.69
2009-03-242009-03-13DR-1829-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$568,321.91
2007-07-172007-06-02DR-1713-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$226,953.52
2006-06-052006-03-30DR-1645-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and Ground SaturationInland Flooding$171,217.60
2006-01-042005-11-27DR-1621-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weathernone placed in this county by FEMA's record; $23,693.61 for this declaration is not placed in any county (see the state page)
2005-09-132005-08-29EM-3247-NDEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2005-07-222005-06-01DR-1597-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and Ground SaturationInland Flooding$274,044.36
2001-05-282001-03-01DR-1376-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, & Ground SaturationInland Flooding$108,296.99
2000-06-272000-04-05DR-1334-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding and Ground SaturationInland Flooding$160,683.81
1999-06-081999-03-01DR-1279-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, and TorInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Tornado$703,433.95
1998-06-151998-03-02DR-1220-NDMajor disasterFlooding, Ground Saturation,Severe StormsInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1997-04-071997-02-28DR-1174-NDMajor disasterSevere Flooding,Severe Winter Storms, Snowmelt, Spring RainsInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Wildfire, Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1997-01-121997-01-03DR-1157-NDMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms and Blizzard ConditionsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1996-06-051996-03-12DR-1118-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms,Flooding, & Ice JamsInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1995-05-161995-03-01DR-1050-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and Ground SaturationInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1994-07-011994-03-05DR-1032-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1993-07-261993-06-22DR-1001-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1979-04-261979-04-26DR-581-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms, Snowmelt & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1976-07-211976-07-21EM-3016-NDEmergencyDroughtDroughtno Public Assistance recorded
1975-07-111975-07-11DR-475-NDMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1969-04-181969-04-18DR-256-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1966-03-231966-03-23DR-216-NDMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1957-06-221957-06-22DR-79-NDMajor disasterTornadoTornado

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Public Assistance not placed in any North Dakota county: 1 row, $23,693.61; listed on the North Dakota state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave68420001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 5 Frost/Freeze records.
Drought805101996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake00000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail17749001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave400001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm801001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding45002401996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide000101996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Lightning100001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind143410201955 to 2026-06-30Includes 31 High Wind records.
Tornado2601101950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire000101996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Winter Weather153224601996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2022-10-18Drought$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2022 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2018-07-02Hail2.75 indamage not reported0, 0COGSWELLB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2011-07-16Excessive Heatdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2011-07-10Thunderstorm Wind110 kt (127 mph) measured gustproperty not reported; $150,000 crops (2011 dollars)0, 0STRAUBVILLEB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2008-10-11Lightning$5,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)0, 0RUTLANDB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2003-03-08Cold/Wind Chill$5,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2003 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
1999-11-01High Wind66 kt (76 mph), measurement type not recordeddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1998-06-24Flood$250,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1998 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1997-04-05Blizzard$6,000,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1997 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
1997-04-04Ice Storm$6,000,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1997 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Ice Storm
1996-12-21Cold/Wind Chilldamage not reported0, 0NWS zone NDZ052 (SARGENT), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
1973-07-01TornadoF3, 33 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1973 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (633 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave16.6event-days per yearabout 16.6 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 24 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (80%)3162005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought0.831event-days per yearabout 0.831 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 4 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (13.3%)212000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000196annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0196%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail3.8events per yearabout 3.8 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)144.6 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave1.95event-days per yearabout 1.95 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 4 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (13.3%)282005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricaneevents per year1851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNot Applicable in NRI for this county; no descriptor.
Ice Storm0.399event-days per yearabout 0.399 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 6 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (20%)271946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding1.11event-days per yearabout 1.11 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 16 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (53.3%)311996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.0833events per year (modeled)about 1 in 12 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning31.5days per year with a strikeabout 31.5 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind2.69events per yearabout 2.69 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)1031986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.506events per yearabout 0.51 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.000906annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0906%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather23.7event-days per yearabout 23.7 days per yearHighly likelyStorm Events event-days in 28 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (93.3%)4502005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202576302.53
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20252300.0667
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202556301.87
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202523300.767
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202511300.367
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202515300.5
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20252300.0667
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave2 of 297.998.699.4Very High 2
Drought2 of 278.279.781.2Relatively Low 1, Very Low 1
Earthquake2 of 26.57.89.1Very Low 2
Hail2 of 298.599.099.5Very High 2
Heat Wave2 of 213.718.022.3Relatively Low 1, Very Low 1
Hurricane0 of 2Not Applicable 2
Ice Storm2 of 297.498.198.8Very High 1, Relatively High 1
Inland Flooding2 of 211.022.333.6Relatively Low 1, Very Low 1
Landslide2 of 254.467.179.8Very Low 2
Lightning2 of 215.719.222.8Relatively Low 1, Very Low 1
Strong Wind2 of 299.199.499.8Very High 2
Tornado2 of 257.963.068.1Relatively Moderate 2
Wildfire2 of 284.487.089.7Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 1
Winter Weather2 of 298.498.999.4Very High 2

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Hail: Agriculture is 95% of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Strong Wind: Agriculture is 85% of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

This county has 2 census tracts; the minimum, median and maximum come from those 2.

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Sargent CountyCountyApproved, expires 2031-07-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$3,067,9970 total; not yet covered
Cayuga cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06$2,292.3027 total; not yet coveredNo NFIP community ID on this jurisdiction's plan row.
Cogswell cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$55,312.7523 total; not yet covered
Forman cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$32,040.7329 total; not yet covered
Gwinner cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$250,202.9823 total; not yet covered
Havana cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06$1,09227 total; not yet coveredNo NFIP community ID on this jurisdiction's plan row.
Milnor cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$152,987.2228 total; not yet covered
Rutland cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$7,363.9023 total; not yet covered

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2026-07-07county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$1,343,685,539$275,810,1653,851$401$991,460$1,055,877under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$68,641,169n/an/a$2,477n/a0.00361% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$2,238,111,688n/a3,862$2,418n/a$5030.000108%
Hail$1,343,685,539$275,810,1653,851$45,020$1,010,782$11,4900.00335%
Heat Wave$1,343,685,539$275,810,1653,851$221$2$26,265under 0.0001%
HurricaneNot Applicable in NRI for this county
Ice Storm$1,343,685,539n/a3,851$264,603n/a$20,2340.0197%
Inland Flooding$1,343,494,959$3290$661,611$12$0n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$1,487,343n/a4$2n/a$880.000131%
Lightning$1,343,685,539n/a3,851$1,706n/a$4,7720.000127%
Strong Wind$1,343,685,539$275,810,1653,851$98,161$847,330$51,6800.00731%
Tornado$1,343,685,539$275,810,1653,851$212,333$11,273$30,3720.0158%
Wildfire$244,663,494$79,710,117973$38,166$202$1,7180.0156%
Winter Weather$1,343,685,539$275,810,1653,851$66,462$431$66,3590.00495%

Totals since 2026-07-07: Storm Events not yet covered: Storm Events data run through 2026-06-30, before the approval date, so there is no period to count yet; Public Assistance: no counted declaration since the plan.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population3,851
Building value (total, not at risk)$1,343,685,539
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$275,810,165
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$4,255,071
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$1,269,358
Social vulnerability ratingVery Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively Moderate
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Sargent County3802950000000
Cogswell city3801640000000
Forman city3802280000000
Gwinner city3802290000000
Milnor city3802390000000
Rutland city3802000000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Sargent County, ND: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 38081). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/nd/38081/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]