89 flood insurance claims·$237,952 paid·10 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 Hettinger 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.
Less than 1% of Hettinger County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
77 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 6 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 1978, with 53 claims and $137,163 paid, the year of Storms, Ice Jams, Snowmelt & 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Hettinger County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Apr 10, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Flooding | Mar 21, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Oct 4, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 20, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Flooding,severe Winter Storms, Snowmelt, Spring Rains | Feb 28, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2022 | $30,000 · 2 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2016 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2013 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2009 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2009 | $193,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2001 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2001 | — |
— = 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…
Flood · May 1, 2022. A male and female, both 74 years old, from Arcadia, Oklahoma attempted to pass through a low water crossing on the Cannonball River near 96th Ave. SW and 71st St. SW in Hettinger County at around 1:00 PM MDT on May 1. They had crossed successfully at the same location twice the day before. This crossing is locally known to have water running through it during most snowmelt and rain events. A gauge upstream near Re…
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 2016. A compact upper level low approached North Dakota while strong instability and very strong deep layer shear were present over a broad portion of the state. Storms initiated over eastern Montana into southwest North Dakota and moved across the area in the evening and overnight hours. Storms were slow to intensify at first, then around 730 pm CDT explosive growth occurred over western North Dakota. Strong supercells…
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2013. Severe Thunderstorm Watch numbers 345 and 350 were in effect during this event.||A capped atmosphere and weak bulk shear prevented convection over North Dakota while storms were developing over far southeast Montana and eastern Wyoming.||Later in the afternoon bulk shear increased substantially into North Dakota in the vicinity of a southwest to northeast orientated surface trough. As the cap weakened, convection…
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 Hettinger 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.