2 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 Keya Paha County, Nebraska. 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Keya Paha County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 5, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 4, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 19, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuees | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
8 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 16, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 5, 2007 | $120,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2003 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 1999 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Feb 19, 1997 | $750,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 16, 2019. Historical flooding occurred in north central Nebraska as rivers, creeks and other streams rose due to the combination of snow, rain, and rapid snow melt on top of frozen ground. The greatest flooding occurred along the Niobrara, Keya Paha, Elkhorn and Loup Rivers; Ponca, Long Pine, Victoria and Cedar creeks; and one fatality occurred from the failure of Spencer Dam that is located on the Niobrara River. In additi…
Flood · Mar 13, 2019. Historical flooding occurred in north central Nebraska as rivers, creeks and other streams rose due to the combination of snow, rain, and rapid snow melt on top of frozen ground. The greatest flooding occurred along the Niobrara, Keya Paha, Elkhorn and Loup Rivers; Ponca, Long Pine, Victoria and Cedar creeks; and one fatality occurred from the failure of Spencer Dam that is located on the Niobrara River. In additi…
Flood · Jul 5, 2019. Clusters of thunderstorms and a quasi-linear convective system produced widespread severe wind gusts and large hail across southwest Nebraska and the Sandhills the late night of July 4 and early morning of July 5.
Flash Flood · May 5, 2007. Severe thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours and continued throughout the morning producing several reports of hail and some flash flooding. During the afternoon, tornadic supercells developed leading to reports of tornadoes, hail and flash flooding which continued into the early evening.
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 Keya Paha 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.