Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Lakin

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Downtown Lakin, KS IMG 5846Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lakin · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Lakin than in 73% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lakin gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%), then hail (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 44%Hail 22%Tornadoes 15%

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

less than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Kansas · lower than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
44% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 8 declared for Kearny County
By hazard

What Lakin 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

44%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hail

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms top 2% Wildfire Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 52% of Lakin’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Lakin’s grade

River and rain flooding is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lakin, and Lakin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 22%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lakin sits
Lakin
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Lakin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding44%Hail22%Tornadoes15%Everything else18%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Lakin: $677K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Lakin’s 2,205 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Lakin township (2,491 residents) and Deerfield township (847 residents) and Deerfield city (711 residents) and Southside township (261 residents) and Hartland township (143 residents) and Kendall township (109 residents) and East Hibbard township (68 residents) and West Hibbard township (64 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Lakin flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lakin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Lakin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Kearny County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lakin

Disasters that paid out in Lakin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lakin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$66K to the City of Lakin for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Winter Storm$18K to the City of Lakin for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LakinKearny County only

Kearny County has had 8 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Lakin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lakin archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Lakin faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Lakin

Is Lakin at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lakin has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%) and hail (22%). 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.

Is Lakin 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 Kearny County, 0.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Lakin?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lakin’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 Lakin?

By FEMA money that reached Lakin, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2017): $66K to the City of Lakin for repairs.

Is Lakin at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Lakin’s rate for it is lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lakin.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lakin’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.