Horace G. Lyons House · Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Monmouth Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Monmouth Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #71 of 151 in Kansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1993.
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 Monmouth Township 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
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 Monmouth Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Monmouth Township, and Monmouth Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #71 of 151 in Kansas; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Monmouth Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Kansas town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Monmouth Township has less expected damage per building than 53% of Kansas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Monmouth Township: $800K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Monmouth Township flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Monmouth Township, from FEMA’s records: 10.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Monmouth Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Shawnee County.The storms Monmouth Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Shawnee County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Monmouth Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200710 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, declared for Shawnee County
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Shawnee County
- 19951 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Shawnee County has had 13 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.
Old photos of Monmouth Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Monmouth Township archive →Monmouth Township and its neighbors
Monmouth Township is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsport Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Tecumseh Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Kanwaka Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Monmouth Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Elk Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Clinton Township | — | 507 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 Monmouth Township 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.
- 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 Monmouth Township
Is Monmouth Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Monmouth Township has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #71 of 151 in Kansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 Monmouth Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Monmouth Township since 1993, $373K in all, or 10.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Monmouth Township 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 Shawnee County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Monmouth Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Monmouth Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Monmouth Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Monmouth Township’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Monmouth Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Monmouth Township’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.