11 flood insurance claims·$98,119 paid·13 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 Foster County, North Dakota. 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 5 claims and $40,262 paid, the year of 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Foster County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 13 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Jun 20, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Flooding | Apr 1, 2020 |
| Flooding | Oct 9, 2019 |
| Flooding | Apr 22, 2013 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
7 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2011 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2011 | $70,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2011 | $1.0M |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2009 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2009 | $555,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2005 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 16, 2023. The spring snow melt of 2023 saw many areas of flooding over North Dakota due to a record deep snow pack and relatively fast melt. Multiple counties experienced infrastructure damage due to the flooding. In addition, during the morning hours of April 16, a flood death (direct) occurred as a 54 year old female was driving a 2004 Ford Escape along ND Highway 66 near the intersection of 47th Avenue NE, to the northwe…
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2011. Continued redevelopment of thunderstorms over north central Stutsman County and central Foster County resulted in flash flooding. A measured heavy rain report of 4.22 inches was received from south central Foster County.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2011. Severe Thunderstorm Watch number 645 was issued during the mid evening of the 14th for much of west and portions of central North Dakota in anticipation of stronger storms over eastern Montana advecting east into North Dakota through the early morning hours of the 15th. Earlier, Tornado Watch number 644 was in effect, although storms failed to develop. Several severe thunderstorm warnings were issued, with two rep…
Flash Flood · Aug 6, 2011. Thunderstorms with very heavy rain resulted in flash flood conditions over portions of Foster County in east central North Dakota. The flooding damaged rail tracks over the James River, causing a train derailment. No injuries were reported with this accident.
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 Foster 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.