Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0For tornadoes, Great Bend’s building-damage rate is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Bend gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #30 of 151 in Kansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then tornadoes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 396 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Great Bend’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Great Bend 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
Strong wind
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 Great Bend’s grade
River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Great Bend, and Great Bend’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 21%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B #30 of 151 in Kansas; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Great Bend’s residents live in 5 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, Great Bend has less expected damage per building than 81% of Kansas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.1M a year in losses across Great Bend: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Great Bend flood? Yes: 396 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Great Bend, from FEMA’s records: 55.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Midwest Flooding3 claims · $6K
Great Bend isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Barton County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Great Bend
Disasters that paid out in Great Bend itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Great Bend), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$980K to the City of Great Bend for repairs
- 2021Severe Storms and Straight Line Winds$113K to the City of Great Bend for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides$803K to the City of Great Bend for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm$114K to the City of Great Bend for repairs
- 2013Snowstorm$19K to the City of Great Bend for repairs
- 2007Severe Winter Storms$348K to the City of Great Bend for repairs
Show all 7
- 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding156 households applied for aid$171K aid approved$755K to the City of Great Bend for repairs
Barton County has had 24 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.
Old photos of Great Bend after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Great Bend archive →Great Bend and its neighbors
Great Bend has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bend | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 396 |
| Great Bend Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| South Bend Township | — | 641 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Liberty Township | — | 126 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Buffalo Township | — | 235 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Comanche Township | — | 367 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 Great Bend 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Great Bend
Is Great Bend at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Bend has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #30 of 151 in Kansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and tornadoes (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Great Bend flood?
Flood insurance has paid 396 claims in Great Bend since 1979, $2.1M in all, or 55.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (3).
Is Great Bend 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 Barton County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Great Bend?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Great Bend’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 Great Bend?
By FEMA money that reached Great Bend, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2023): $980K to the City of Great Bend for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 3 paid, $6K.
Is Great Bend at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Great Bend’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Great Bend.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Great Bend’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.