30 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·6 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 Perry 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.
River flooding driven by persistent heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Perry County, Arkansas, complemented by frequent flash flooding. Over the last thirty years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 85 flood events, 31 flash flood events with one death, four tropical depression events, and two tropical storm events.
Recent occurrences illustrate this riverine activity. In January 2025, heavy rainfall caused the Fouche LaFave River at Houston to enter minor flood stage, persisting into February. Widespread heavy rains in February 2025 brought additional flooding to portions of the Ouachita, Petit Jean, Fouche LaFave, Black, White, and Cache rivers.
Property owners in mapped high-risk areas should pay the most attention to this exposure. Federal insurance records show that properties in Zone A experienced the vast majority of claims, totaling 26 filings with an average payout of $40,698 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Claims were also filed in Zone X and zones of unknown designation, with average payouts of $79,562 and $17,666, respectively.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Perry County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
26 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 9 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 2019, with 14 claims and $875,480 paid, the year of 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.
29 NOAA storm reports from Perry County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 6 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 | 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 Winter Storm | Dec 25, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
122 since 1996: 31 flash floods and 85 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 21, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 14, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 1, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 31, 2025. The Fouche LaFave River at Houston entered minor flood stage in late January and remained in minor flood stage into February. The crest for this river site would take place in February.
Flood · May 21, 2025. River flooding was observed along the Cache, Black, and Fourche LaFave Rivers.
Flood · Feb 16, 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 · Jun 15, 2025. River flooding was observed along the Black and Fourche LaFave Rivers.
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 Perry 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.