56 flood insurance claims·$564,261 paid·2 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 Harney 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 Harney County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
26 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 3 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 1984, with 29 claims and $301,585 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 Harney County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oregon flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Falls Fire | Jul 18, 2024 |
| Egley Fire Complex | Jul 8, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 26, 2003 |
| Drought | Apr 29, 1977 |
| Heavy Rains & Flooding | Dec 24, 1964 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
11 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 25, 2025 | $1.0M |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 4, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2013 | — |
| Flood | May 16, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 15, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jun 4, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 25, 2025. Rapid snowmelt due to warm temperatures caused the Silvies River to rise to 14.76 feet, about half a foot under the record of 15.2 feet. This caused significant flooding in and around Burns, Oregon while the river was in flood stage from March 25th through April 3rd and from April 10th through April 15th. Flooding was visible over the area between the two flood stage events and for a few days after April 15th.
Flood · Apr 1, 2025. Flooding caused by rapid snowmelt in March continued through mid-April. The Silvies river rose to 14.76 feet, about half a foot under the record of 15.2 feet, on March 29th. The water levels began to decrease, although the area remained inundated. Another warm period in mid-April allowed for the river level to begin rising again. Reaching a secondary peak of 12.58 feet on April 11th. Water dropped below flood stag…
Flood · Aug 4, 2023. Monsoonal moisture in tandem with a weak upper level low allowed for training storms to form over the Oregon-Nevada border. This created a lot of flooding and and making travel on dirt roads difficult.
Flood · Mar 17, 2017. Rainfall and snow melt combined to increase the flow on the Silvies River to minor flood stage.
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 Harney 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.