16 flood insurance claims·$18,992 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 Merrick 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from summer thunderstorms shape the flood profile of Merrick County, Nebraska, where the NOAA Storm Events Database records 10 flood events and 8 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Historic events include a destructive combination of excessive rainfall, blizzard conditions, and high winds in March 2019 that led to extensive flooding lasting for days, followed by widespread flooding of low-lying areas, fields, creeks, and rivers in May 2019 after multiple thunderstorm episodes dropped heavy rain. More recently, persistent narrow bands of heavy rain caused flash flooding during a 10-hour period in June 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located within FEMA Zone A have experienced the highest impact, logging 10 claims with an average payout of $2,488 and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches. In contrast, Zones X, X_SHADED, and Unknown recorded fewer claims with significantly lower average payouts and minimal recorded water depths. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risks, as these areas face the highest historical frequency and depth of claims.
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 14 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 1982, with 5 claims and $2,066 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Merrick County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 13, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 19, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuees | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 11, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 23, 1993 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
18 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | $300,000 |
| Flood | May 27, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | $2.0M |
| Flood | Jun 4, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Sep 28, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Feb 27, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 20, 2011 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 2024. Although it impacted only a handful of west central and especially northern counties of South Central Nebraska, a persistent narrow band of heavy rain on the evening of Friday the 21st into the pre-dawn of Saturday the 22nd caused what was likely the overall most impactful flooding event of 2024 within the 24-county area. Over the course of 10 hours between 5 p.m. and 3 a.m. CDT, numerous and mostly sub-severe thu…
Flood · May 27, 2019. Widespread flooding of low-lying areas, fields, creeks, and rivers continued. A large area of heavy rain fell due to multiple thunderstorm episodes on the nights of the 26th and 27th, and resulted in 3 to 5 inch totals over much of south central Nebraska. The swath of greatest rainfall amounts extended from Alma to Hastings to Columbus. This swath was surrounded by rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches. The highest amo…
Flood · Mar 17, 2019. Excessive rainfall, blizzard conditions, and high winds occurred on this Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday, and they were followed by extensive and significant flooding that lasted for days afterward. The seeds of the disastrous flooding were planted in the weeks leading up to this event. The factors that came together made this a worst case scenario. February through early March was bitterly cold and snowy du…
Flood · Mar 13, 2019. Excessive rainfall, blizzard conditions, and high winds occurred on this Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday, and they were followed by extensive and significant flooding that lasted for days afterward. The seeds of the disastrous flooding were planted in the weeks leading up to this event. The factors that came together made this a worst case scenario. February through early March was bitterly cold and snowy du…
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 Merrick 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.