Storms, floods and disasters in Smoky Hill Township
Smoky Hill Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Smoky Hill Township has 169 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 38 claims here since 1987.
What Smoky Hill 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
Wildfire
Hail
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 Smoky Hill Township flood? Sometimes: 38 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Smoky Hill Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $1K
Smoky Hill 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: Saline County.The storms Smoky Hill Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Saline County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Smoky Hill Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200727 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, declared for Saline County
- 19938 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Saline County
- 19952 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Saline County has had 15 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 Smoky Hill Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Smoky Hill Township archive →Smoky Hill Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salina | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
| Elm Creek Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Ohio Township | — | 368 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Smolan Township | — | 605 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 Smoky Hill 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Smoky Hill Township
Does Smoky Hill Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 38 claims in Smoky Hill Township since 1987, $2.5M in all. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (1).
Is Smoky Hill 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 Saline County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Smoky Hill Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Smoky Hill Township’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 Smoky Hill Township?
By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $1K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Smoky Hill Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Smoky Hill 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.