Photo: Quint2724 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Westwood faces less hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westwood gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.
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 Westwood 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
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.
What’s behind Westwood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westwood, and Westwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Westwood’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $788K a year in losses across Westwood: $474K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Westwood flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Westwood, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Westwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Johnson County.The storms Westwood remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Johnson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Westwood itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Johnson County has had 9 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 Westwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Westwood archive →Westwood and its neighbors
Westwood is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roeland Park | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Westwood | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Fairway | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| Westwood Hills | — | 469 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 Westwood 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.
- 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 Westwood
Is Westwood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westwood has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (15%). 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 Westwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Westwood since 1979, $34K in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Westwood 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 Johnson County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Westwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Westwood’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Westwood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Westwood’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Westwood’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.