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Smarty turns FEMA hazard scores into instant, address-level risk intelligence

US Property Risk Data tornado image
Updated November 4, 2025
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US Property Risk Data tornado image

OREM, UT, July 31, 2025—Smarty, a leading address intelligence provider, announced the launch of its US Property Risk Data product. The new API-based solution transforms FEMA’s National Risk Index (NRI) into structured, address-level hazard intelligence, enabling insurers, lenders, and real estate platforms to model risk and evaluate exposure at high speed and massive scale.

With the frequency and severity of natural disasters on the rise, insured losses in the US now average over $151 billion annually. Despite the clear need for faster, more accurate risk modeling, accessing FEMA’s National Risk Index remains cumbersome, requiring bulk downloads and manual data preparation. Smarty eliminates this complexity with a single API call that instantly delivers integration-ready hazard data.

The API returns more than 465 NRI data fields across 18 natural hazards, plus economic and population data, geographic identifiers, and community resilience scores. This comprehensive data set covers every major natural threat to US properties:

  • Fire hazards: lightning, wildfire
  • Weather-related hazards: cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, strong wind, tornado, winter weather
  • Water-related hazards: coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami
  • Geological hazards: avalanche, earthquake, landslide, volcanic activity

Smarty delivers key metrics for each hazard, such as expected and historical loss ratios, event frequency, and exposure by asset type. These insights empower insurers to assess risk and underwrite with greater accuracy and speed.

"The challenge is never simply accessing FEMA data; it's making it queryable at the individual property level,” said Brent Francom, Smarty’s Director of Product Management. “We've essentially pre-computed the hazard profiles for every US address, so a single API call returns everything you need for high-level risk assessment."

The solution integrates with existing workflows through a cloud-based API, allowing companies to quickly add FEMA risk intelligence into pricing models, eligibility rules, or investment analysis tools without custom development. It also includes SmartyKey®, a persistent unique identifier that simplifies deduplication, enrichment, and data linking, functionalities especially valuable for insurance and insurtech use cases.

“When you can instantly flag high-risk properties during application intake, it fundamentally changes your workflow efficiency,” Francom said. “What used to take weeks now happens in milliseconds.”

US Property Risk Data is the latest addition to Smarty’s address intelligence tools widely adopted in the insurance industry, including address verification, property data, and rooftop geocoding. US Property Risk Data is now available to purchase with flexible pricing based on API usage, or to test with a 42-day free trial.

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