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City between the Ages (8216610169)Photo: Douglas Kulp · CC BY 2.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Council Grove · FEMA

FEMA puts Council Grove’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Council Grove gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 73%Wildfire 9%Tornadoes 8%

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 82%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 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
73% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 24 declared for Morris County
By hazard

What Council Grove 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

73%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 3% Strong wind Hail Winter storms top 3% Earthquakes Lightning Heat waves top 0% 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 heat waves at 21% of Council Grove’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Council Grove’s grade

River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Council Grove, and Council Grove’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Council Grove sits
Council Grove
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding73%Wildfire9%Tornadoes8%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Council Grove: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Council Grove’s 2,140 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Council Grove flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Council Grove

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$20K to the City of Council Grove for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$12K to the City of Council Grove for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$34K to the City of Council Grove for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$11K to the City of Council Grove for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Winter Storms, Heavy Rains, and Flooding$4K to the City of Council Grove for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$9K to the City of Council Grove for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Council GroveMorris County only

Morris 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 Council Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Council Grove archive →
Next door

Council Grove and its neighbors

Council Grove has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Township 2: not gradedTownship 2Council Grove
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Council GroveC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding0
Township 2—616 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 Council Grove 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Council Grove

Is Council Grove at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Council Grove has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and wildfire (9%). 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 Council Grove 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.

How much is flood insurance in Council Grove?

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

By FEMA money that reached Council Grove, Severe Winter Storms (2007): $34K to the City of Council Grove for repairs.

Is Council Grove at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Council Grove’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Council Grove.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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