67 flood insurance claims·$450,510 paid·3 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 Crook County, Oregon. 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 Crook County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
57 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 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 1998, with 61 claims and $448,520 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Crook County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oregon flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Highland Fire | Jul 12, 2025 |
| Rail Ridge Fire | Sep 2, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Mudslides, Landslides, And Debris Flows | Jan 13, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 18, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 26, 2003 |
| Flooding | May 28, 1998 |
| Drought | Apr 29, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
8 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2019 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2019 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jan 17, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 1997 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 15, 2023. A moist southwest flow aloft and building instability at the surface allowed for thunderstorms to develop throughout the day on May 15th. Several thunderstorms that produced periods of heavy rainfall trained over areas of central OR, which result in localized flooding across portions of Crook county.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2019. A powerful upper storm system combined with modest low and mid level moisture to yield scattered strong to severe storms and flash flooding. Storms developed first across the higher terrain of central Oregon nearer the Cascades and adjacent Ochoco mountains. Storms then built northward with hail and damaging winds along the way.
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2019. An approaching storm system combined with modest instability allowed for spotty strong to afternoon storms near the Cascades. The slow moving nature of the storms also lead to heavy rainfall and flooding in at least one area.
Flood · Jan 17, 2011. A large Pacific weather system became established in mid January that produced copious amounts of rainfall with unseasonably warm conditions in parts of Oregon.
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 Crook 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.