187 flood insurance claims·$2.3M paid·3 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 Independence 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 heavy rainfall events dominates the flood history of Independence County, accounting for 60 recorded events and 1 death over the last 30 years, alongside 32 general flood events, 3 tropical depression events, and 2 tropical storm events.
Recent occurrences demonstrate these seasonal threats. In February 2023, a strong storm system dropped 4 to 6 inches of rain, causing rapid rises on area rivers and flash flooding across the northwest half of the state. Later, a multiday heavy rainfall period in April 2025 brought river flooding that kept points along the White, Black, Cache, and Ouachita Rivers in flood through the end of the month, while heavy rainfall from a complex of showers and storms triggered flooding reports in February 2025.
NFIP claims data shows the highest volume of impacts in Zone A with 153 claims averaging a $15,399 payout and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Properties in Zone X also experienced losses, recording 17 claims with an average payout of $22,713 and an average water depth of 28 inches. Homeowners and real estate professionals near rivers and within designated Special Flood Hazard Areas should pay the closest attention to these risks, though properties in moderate-risk Zone X zones also require vigilance given the higher average water depths recorded in those claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Independence County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
161 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 10 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 2008, with 68 claims and $1.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Independence County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 7, 2015 |
| Severe Storms,tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 27, 2014 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
97 since 1996: 60 flash floods and 32 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 17, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Nov 5, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 24, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Feb 8, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 30, 2025. River flooding occurred on the White River at Batesville in late January.
Flash Flood · Feb 15, 2025. Heavy rainfall was observed with a complex of showers and storms that moved across the state. While a few storms may be been strong over southeast Arkansas, a few flooding reports were noted over central into north-central Arkansas.
Flood · Apr 5, 2025. Heavy rainfall over a multiday period brought flooding to many rivers across Arkansas. Points along the White, Black, Cache, and Ouachita Rivers remained in flood through the remainder of the month.
Flood · Jul 17, 2024. Heavy rain in Mid July led to river flooding on the White River basin.
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 Independence 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.