153 flood insurance claims·$4.1M paid·5 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Chicot County, Arkansas. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from severe storms dominates the local flood profile, with 81 recorded flash flood events out of 99 total flood events over the last 30 years, alongside impacts from tropical systems and general flooding. Recent occurrences include heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the vicinity of Dermott in March and April 2024, as well as strong storms producing flash flooding across southeast Arkansas in April 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show significant claim activity across multiple zones, indicating widespread exposure. Zone A accounts for 44 claims with an average payout of $34,390 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Meanwhile, various designations of Zone X show substantial risk, including 40 claims in Zone X averaging $40,987 with a 26-inch average water depth, 33 claims in Zone X Unshaded averaging $38,639 with a 35-inch average depth, and 31 claims in Zone X Shaded averaging $15,809 with a 31-inch average depth.
Homeowners and real estate professionals in both designated high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to these patterns, as historical claims demonstrate that properties outside of primary flood zones also experience substantial standing water depths during heavy rainfall and severe weather events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
59% of Chicot County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
108 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 24 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2011, with 45 claims and $2.4M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
44 NOAA storm reports from Chicot County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 21, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 8, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 27, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Hurricane Gustav | Sep 2, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
99 since 1996: 81 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 18, 2024 | $125,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 10, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 9, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Tropical Depression | Aug 30, 2021 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. On the afternoon of April 5th, strong to severe storms produced damaging winds and flash flooding in southeast Arkansas.
Flood · Mar 25, 2024. As a low pressure system moved across the country, thunderstorms moving across southeast Arkansas produced heavy rainfall. Some street flooding occurred in Dermott.
Flash Flood · Apr 18, 2024. Several rounds of heavy rain across southeast Arkansas produced flooding.
Flash Flood · Apr 10, 2024. Thunderstorms produced heavy rain and flash flooding in the vicinity of Dermott, Arkansas during the morning of April 9th.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Chicot County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.