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FEMA flood zones · Oregon

Sherman County, Oregon Flood Zone Map

1 flood insurance claims·$40,726 paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters

1% of Sherman County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Sherman 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.

How deep the water got

outlet80″ door12″24″36″48″60″72″84″

In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 24 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.

Federal disasters

10 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Landslides, And MudslidesJan 10, 2024
Substation FireJul 17, 2018
Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And MudslidesDec 18, 2005
Hurricane Katrina EvacuationAug 29, 2005
Severe Winter StormsDec 26, 2003
High Winds, Severe Storms And FloodingFeb 4, 1996
DroughtApr 29, 1977
Heavy Rains & FloodingDec 24, 1964

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

1 since 1996: 1 flash floods.

EventDateDamage
Flash FloodAug 5, 2003—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Sherman County

If a building in Sherman 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.