FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Emma Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Emma Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #90 of 151 in Kansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1993.
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
What Emma 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
Tornadoes
Hail
Wildfire
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.
What’s behind Emma Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Emma Township, and Emma Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #90 of 151 in Kansas; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Emma Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Kansas town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Emma Township has more expected damage per building than 59% of Kansas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Emma Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Emma Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Emma Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Midwest Flooding6 claims · $46K
Emma 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: Harvey County.The storms Emma Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Harvey County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Emma Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19936 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Harvey County
- 20133 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Harvey County
- 19951 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Harvey County has had 19 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Harvey County, 2022–2022.
Old photos of Emma Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Emma Township archive →Emma Township and its neighbors
Emma Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Meridian Township | — | 290 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Garden Township | — | 53 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Highland Township | — | 385 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Macon Township | — | 385 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 Emma 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Emma Township
Is Emma Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Emma Township has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #90 of 151 in Kansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) 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.
Does Emma Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Emma Township since 1993, $159K in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (6).
Is Emma 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 Harvey County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Emma Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Emma 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 Emma Township?
By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 6 paid, $46K.
Is Emma Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Emma Township’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Emma Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Emma 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.