91 flood insurance claims·$1.5M 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 Ouachita 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.
Standard river flooding and general flooding dominate the historical record in Ouachita County, accompanied by frequent flash floods and occasional tropical systems. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 105 flood events, 32 flash flood events, 6 tropical storm events, and 2 tropical depression events. Recent multi-day heavy rainfall events led to significant river overflows, such as the Ouachita River remaining in minor flood stage through January 2025, and similar widespread flooding along the Ouachita and other regional rivers in February 2025 and April 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating risk extends beyond designated high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for the majority of claims with 65 filings, an average payout of $19,771, and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 17 claims with an average payout of $18,613 and an average water depth of 7 inches. Unshaded Zone X recorded 6 claims averaging $21,340 with an average water depth of 11 inches, while shaded Zone X recorded 3 claims averaging $42,173 with an average water depth of 6 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located near the Ouachita River and other waterways, as well as properties situated in both Zone A and the various Zone X designations where historical claims and standing water depths have been documented.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Ouachita County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
74 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 5 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 2009, with 21 claims and $276,353 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding and Severe Storms 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.
41 NOAA storm reports from Ouachita County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1979, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Apr 12, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 8, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
145 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 105 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 27, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 13, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 9, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 2, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 1, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 27, 2025. River flooding was noted along the Spring, White, Fourche LaFave, Arkansas, and Ouachita Rivers.
Flood · Feb 13, 2025. Widespread heavy rains brought flooding to portions of the Ouachita, Saline, Fouche LaFave, Black, White, and Little Red Rivers during the middle of February.
Flood · May 9, 2025. River flooding was noted along the Cache and Ouachita Rivers.
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.
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 Ouachita 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.