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Carry A. Nation HouseCarry A. Nation House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Medicine Lodge · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Medicine Lodge faces more hazard damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Medicine Lodge gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (46%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1996.

Wildfire 46%River and rain flooding 31%Tornadoes 10%

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

more than 91%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Kansas · higher than 91% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Wildfire
46% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1996 · $1K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 14 declared for Barber County

What stands out about Medicine Lodge’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Wildfire: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 45.6% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants2 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Medicine Lodge faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

46%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

31%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind top 2% Ice storms Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Cold waves Heat waves top 3% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 42% of Medicine Lodge’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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 Medicine Lodge’s grade

Wildfire is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Medicine Lodge, and Medicine Lodge’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 10%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Medicine Lodge sits
Medicine Lodge
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire46%River and rain flooding31%Tornadoes10%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.6M a year in losses across Medicine Lodge: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Medicine Lodge’s 1,781 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Sharon city (147 residents) and Valley township (131 residents) and Elm Mills township (119 residents) and Isabel city (68 residents) and Lake City township (66 residents) and Lake City CDP (47 residents) and Sun City township (42 residents) and Sun City city (37 residents) and Turkey Creek township (21 residents) and McAdoo township (16 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 Medicine Lodge flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Medicine Lodge, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1996
19962026
1
paid claims since 1996
$1K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$1K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Barber County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Medicine Lodge

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides$214K to the City of Medicine Lodge for repairs
  2. 2018Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$5K to the City of Medicine Lodge for repairs
  3. 2018Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$5K to the City of Medicine Lodge for repairs
  4. 2013Snowstorm$3K to the City of Medicine Lodge for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Winter Storms, Heavy Rains, and Flooding$29K to the City of Medicine Lodge for repairs
  6. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$2K to the City of Medicine Lodge for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Medicine LodgeBarber County only

Barber County has had 14 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Barber County, 2016–2016.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Medicine Lodge archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Medicine Lodge faces

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

Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Medicine Lodge

Is Medicine Lodge at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Medicine Lodge has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (46%) and river and rain flooding (31%). 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 Medicine Lodge flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Medicine Lodge since 1996, $1K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Medicine Lodge 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 Barber County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Medicine Lodge?

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

By FEMA money that reached Medicine Lodge, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides (2019): $214K to the City of Medicine Lodge for repairs.

Is Medicine Lodge at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Medicine Lodge’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Medicine Lodge.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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