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Arma, KansasPhoto: Paltron · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Arma · FEMA

Arma’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Arma gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 14%Ice storms 7%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Kansas · higher than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 20 declared for Crawford County
By hazard

What Arma faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

64%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Ice storms

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Earthquakes Winter storms top 4% Wildfire Hurricanes Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 25% of Arma’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (14.3%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Arma’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Arma, and Arma’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Arma sits
Arma
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Arma’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Tornadoes14%Ice storms7%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $807K a year in losses across Arma: $420K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Arma’s 1,407 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Franklin CDP (473 residents) and Mulberry city (409 residents) and Arcadia city (254 residents) and Ringo CDP (111 residents) and Croweburg CDP (92 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Arma flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Arma. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Arma isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Crawford County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Arma

Disasters that paid out in Arma itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Arma), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes$5K to the City of Arma for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Winter Storms$7K to the City of Arma for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  5. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$43K to the City of Arma for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ArmaCrawford County only

Crawford County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Arma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Arma archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Arma faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Arma

Is Arma at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Arma has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (14%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Arma in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Crawford County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Arma?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Arma’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Arma?

By FEMA money that reached Arma, Severe Winter Ice Storm (2002): $43K to the City of Arma for repairs.

Is Arma at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Arma’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Arma.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Arma’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.