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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bolton Township · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Bolton Township than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bolton Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then tornadoes (15%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 61%Tornadoes 15%Wildfire 12%

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 84%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 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 24 declared for Cowley County
By hazard

What Bolton Township 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

61%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Wildfire

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind top 4% Hail Ice storms top 4% Earthquakes Winter storms Heat waves top 2% Lightning Hurricanes Cold 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 cold waves at 18% of Bolton Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Bolton Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bolton Township, and Bolton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bolton Township sits
Bolton Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bolton Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding61%Tornadoes15%Wildfire12%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Bolton Township: $607K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Bolton Township covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bolton Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bolton Township. 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

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

Insurance rates: Cowley County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bolton Township

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides$148K to Bolton Township for repairs
  2. 2018Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$28K to Bolton Township for repairs
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to Bolton Township for repairs
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$63K to Bolton Township for repairs
  5. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$24K to Bolton Township for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$36K to Bolton Township for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$6K to Bolton Township for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes$62K to Bolton Township for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$34K to Bolton Township for repairs
  4. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$20K to Bolton Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bolton TownshipCowley County only

Cowley County has had 24 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 Bolton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bolton Township archive →
Next door

Bolton Township and its neighbors

Bolton Township is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Creswell Township: hazard risk C−Arkansas City: hazard risk C+Silverdale Township: not gradedWalton Township: not gradedBeaver Township: not gradedCreswell TownshipArkansas CitySilverdale TownshipWalton TownshipBeaver TownshipBolton Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Arkansas CityC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding50
Creswell TownshipC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding17
Bolton TownshipC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding0
Silverdale Township—322 residents; we grade 1,000+
Walton Township—318 residents; we grade 1,000+
Beaver Township—205 residents; we grade 1,000+

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Bolton Township 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Bolton Township

Is Bolton Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bolton Township has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and tornadoes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Bolton Township 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 Cowley County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bolton Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bolton Township’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 Bolton Township?

By FEMA money that reached Bolton Township, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides (2019): $148K to Bolton Township for repairs.

Is Bolton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Bolton Township’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bolton Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bolton Township’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.