Fort Harker Guardhouse · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Storms, floods and disasters in Kanopolis
Kanopolis isn’t graded for hazard risk: Kanopolis has 552 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Kanopolis 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
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.
Does Kanopolis flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kanopolis. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Kanopolis isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ellsworth County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kanopolis
Disasters that paid out in Kanopolis itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Kanopolis), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2007Severe Winter Storms$11K to the City of Kanopolis for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$865 aid approved$1K to the City of Kanopolis for repairs
Ellsworth 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Ellsworth County, 2017–2017.
Old photos of Kanopolis after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kanopolis archive →Kanopolis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Creek Township | — | 58 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ellsworth Township | — | 684 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 Kanopolis 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.
- 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 Kanopolis
Is Kanopolis 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 Ellsworth County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kanopolis?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kanopolis’ 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 Kanopolis?
By FEMA money that reached Kanopolis, Severe Winter Storms (2007): $11K to the City of Kanopolis for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kanopolis.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kanopolis’ 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.