FEMA puts Fort Riley’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Riley gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #4 of 151 in Kansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then tornadoes (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Fort Riley 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
Wildfire
Ice storms
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 Fort Riley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Riley, and Fort Riley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 22%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #4 of 151 in Kansas; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fort Riley’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Kansas town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fort Riley has less expected damage per building than 98% of Kansas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Fort Riley: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fort Riley flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fort Riley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Fort Riley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Riley County.The storms Fort Riley remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Riley County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fort Riley itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Riley County has had 14 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.
Fort Riley and its neighbors
Fort Riley has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Riley | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Madison Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Milford Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Fort Riley 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.
- 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 Fort Riley
Is Fort Riley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Riley has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #4 of 151 in Kansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and tornadoes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Fort Riley 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 Riley County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fort Riley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fort Riley’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Fort Riley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Fort Riley’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Riley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fort Riley’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.