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Carbondale, KansasPhoto: Kswx29 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Carbondale · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Carbondale faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carbondale gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 62%Tornadoes 15%Hail 11%

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 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Kansas · higher than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1982 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Osage County
By hazard

What Carbondale 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

62%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Hail

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Strong wind

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms top 4% Earthquakes Heat waves top 2% Lightning Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts ice storms at 22% of Carbondale’s expected losses. Ice storms do little damage to buildings (3.3%), 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 Carbondale’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carbondale, and Carbondale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Carbondale sits
Carbondale
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Tornadoes15%Hail11%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $787K a year in losses across Carbondale: $333K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Carbondale’s 1,352 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ridgeway township (2,376 residents) and Elk township (1,843 residents) and Overbrook city (1,005 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 Carbondale flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carbondale, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 2 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1982
19822026
2
paid claims since 1982
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Osage County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carbondale

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

  1. 2013Snowstorm$3K to the City of Carbondale for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$3K to the City of Carbondale for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  4. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding10 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$4K to the City of Carbondale for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Winter Storms, Heavy Rains, and Flooding$20K to the City of Carbondale for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$8K to the City of Carbondale for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CarbondaleOsage County only

Osage County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Carbondale archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Carbondale 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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Carbondale

Is Carbondale at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carbondale has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and tornadoes (15%). 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.

Does Carbondale flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Carbondale since 1982, $3K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Carbondale 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 Osage County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Carbondale?

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

By FEMA money that reached Carbondale, Severe Winter Storms, Heavy Rains, and Flooding (2005): $20K to the City of Carbondale for repairs.

Is Carbondale at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Carbondale’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carbondale.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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