72 flood insurance claims·$1.6M paid·4 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 Woodruff 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 dominates the flood history of Woodruff County, supported by 378 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 19 flash floods, 3 tropical storms, and 2 tropical depressions. River overflow is a recurring regional hazard, as demonstrated in January 2025 when river flooding occurred on the White River at Augusta, keeping the river in minor flood stage through the middle of the month. Heavy rainfall brought further river flooding across the area in April 2025, affecting points along the White, Black, Cache, and Ouachita Rivers through the remainder of the month.
Federal insurance claims data shows that properties in Zone A carry the heaviest financial burden, accounting for 63 claims with an average payout of $24,413 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Additional claims include 6 claims in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $13,130 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches, 2 claims in Zone X with an average payout of $23,778 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, and 1 claim in Zone X_UNSHADED with an average payout of $20,957 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Residents and property owners near rivers and within designated Zone A areas should pay the closest attention to flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Woodruff County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
64 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 7 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 17 claims and $486,572 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.
49 NOAA storm reports from Woodruff County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 4 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 | Dec 10, 2021 |
| 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, And Flooding | May 30, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
402 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 378 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 20, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Nov 3, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 31, 2025. River flooding on the White River at Augusta took place during late January. A crest would not take place over this time period in January as the river flooding would continue into the month of January.
Flood · May 20, 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 · May 13, 2025. River flooding was noted along the Cache and Ouachita 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 Woodruff 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.