Storms, floods and disasters in Elm Creek Township
Elm Creek Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Elm Creek Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 60 claims here since 1993.
What Elm Creek 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
Wildfire
Tornadoes
Hail
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.
Does Elm Creek Township flood? Sometimes: 60 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elm Creek Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding14 claims · $112K
Elm Creek 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: Saline County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elm Creek Township
Disasters that paid out in Elm Creek Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Elm Creek Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$17K to Elm Creek Township for repairs
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$6K to Elm Creek Township for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$17K to Elm Creek Township for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$21K to Elm Creek Township for repairs35 flood claims paid that year
Saline County has had 15 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.
Old photos of Elm Creek Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elm Creek Township archive →Elm Creek Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salina | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
| Bennington Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Smoky Hill Township | — | 169 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Pleasant Valley Township | — | 532 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cambria Township | — | 315 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.
Get ready for what Elm Creek 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Elm Creek Township
Does Elm Creek Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 60 claims in Elm Creek Township since 1993, $907K in all. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (14).
Is Elm Creek 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 Saline County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elm Creek Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elm Creek 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 Elm Creek Township?
By FEMA money that reached Elm Creek Township, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2007): $21K to Elm Creek Township for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 14 paid, $112K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elm Creek Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elm Creek 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.