223 flood insurance claims·$2.3M paid·23 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 Richland 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms and general flooding dominate the historical record in Richland County, backed by 44 flash flood events and 39 general flood events recorded over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Historical events underscore this seasonal risk, such as the spring snowmelt flooding that occurred along North Dakota tributaries in April and May 2023. FEMA records show that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Properties in Zone X account for 146 National Flood Insurance Program claims with an average payout of $8,357 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone A accounts for 53 claims with an average payout of $22,942 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Additionally, Zone UNKNOWN records 13 claims averaging $4,528 with an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED records 11 claims averaging $4,351 with an average water depth of 22 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, which experienced the highest average claim payouts, as well as properties in Zone X, which accumulated the highest total volume of insurance claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Richland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
64 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 7 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 1997, with 124 claims and $1.5M paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms and Blizzard Conditions and Severe Flooding,severe Winter Storms, Snowmelt, Spring Rains.
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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Richland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
37 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 23 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Dec 25, 2023 |
| Flooding | Apr 10, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Flooding | Apr 1, 2020 |
| Flooding | Mar 21, 2019 |
| Flooding | Apr 22, 2013 |
| Flooding | Apr 5, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
83 since 1996: 44 flash floods and 39 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 25, 2024 | $500 |
| Flood | May 24, 2024 | $500 |
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | $194,000 |
| Flood | Apr 15, 2023 | $194,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2016 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2016 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2015 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 25, 2024. Excessive rainfall lead to late May river flooding along the Red River and its tributaries.
Flood · May 24, 2024. Excessive rainfall lead to late May river flooding along the Red River and its tributaries.
Flood · Apr 16, 2023. Snowmelt flooding along the North Dakota Tributaries began in early to mid-April, with a few locations persisting into early May.
Flood · Apr 15, 2023. Spring snowmelt flooding began in mid to late April in most locations, then persisted into early May.
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 Richland 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.