4 flood insurance claims·$52,963 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 Nemaha County, Kansas. 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Nemaha County, KS, backed by 30 flash flood events compared to 7 general flood events recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database. This risk is demonstrated by widespread thunderstorms that caused flash flooding across several counties in July 2020, as well as multiple rounds of heavy rain that produced flash flooding in late June 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program records show limited historical claims in the area, consisting of 3 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $17,097 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, alongside 1 claim in Zone X unshaded with an average payout of $1,672 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in Zone A, where historical claims and payouts have been concentrated due to localized high water.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 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 2026, with 2 claims and $25,255 paid.
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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Nemaha County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Kansas flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides | Apr 28, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 6, 2007 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 4, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Sep 1, 2005 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Jun 28, 1993 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 30 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 25, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 24, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 11, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 25, 2025. Widespread heavy rain of 2 to 5 inches with locally higher amounts fell across much of eastern Kansas. Even with all the heavy rain, only isolated flooding was reported.
Flash Flood · Jun 24, 2021. Flash flooding occurred in far northeastern Kansas, and damaging wind occurred across the area due to multiple rounds of rain late in the evening on 6/24 through the overnight hours.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2020. Several counties experienced flash flooding following widespread thunderstorms during the afternoon of 7/29.
Flash Flood · Sep 24, 2016. Several rounds of heavy rainfall resulted in numerous flash-flooding reports.
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 Nemaha 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.