21 flood insurance claims·$186,223 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 Deschutes 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 2014, with 3 claims and $110,775 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Deschutes County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oregon flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flat Fire | Aug 22, 2025 |
| Mile Marker 132 Fire | Aug 2, 2024 |
| Darlene 3 Fire | Jun 25, 2024 |
| 0419 Fire | Jun 29, 2021 |
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Milli 0843 Cs Fire | Aug 16, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 7, 2017 |
| Two Bulls Fire | Jun 7, 2014 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
14 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 23, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2019 | $6,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2006 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2002 | — |
| Flood | Jul 19, 2001 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 23, 2021. A strong moisture plume with increasing surface instability under a southerly flow aloft produced strong thunderstorms across portions of Deschutes County, OR. These thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall and severe hail at times.
Flood · Jul 1, 2019. Slow moving thunderstorms produced localized flooding and minor mud flows around the Tumalo area during the evening of July 1st. Nearby CoCoRaHS stations just north of Bend reported up to an inch of rainfall with these storms.
Flash Flood · May 21, 2015. A large low pressure system off of southern California would spin up moisture to the area over several previous days. Embedded impulses would enhance convective activity leading up to the day. High CAPE and Perceptible Waters suggested thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall. Several areas across eastern Oregon recorded nearly an inch of rain in 30-60 minutes time. Streets in Bend had been closed of due to st…
Flash Flood · May 28, 2005. Very heavy rain from a thunderstorm led to flash flooding on some streets in Bend, with some debris floating down roadways. One vehicle became stranded at a flooded underpass in Bend. Rainfall amounts from the storm totaled up to 1.25 inches, with .5 inches falling in a 10 minute period.
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 Deschutes 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.