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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Evarts · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Evarts

Evarts isn’t graded for hazard risk: Evarts has 648 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1984.

Flood claims
16
paid since 1984 · $132K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 26 declared for Harlan County
By hazard

What Evarts 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Hurricanes Ice storms Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Evarts’ 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Evarts flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1984

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Evarts, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 3 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 2 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 7 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 2 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 claims199119942002
19842026
Biggest named events
  • The Heavy rains2 claims · $2K
16
paid claims since 1984
$132K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Harlan County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Evarts

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides105 households applied for aid$608K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides23 households applied for aid$44K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EvartsHarlan County only

Harlan County has had 26 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.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Harlan County, 2000–2016.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Evarts archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Evarts 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 ↗
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 Evarts

Does Evarts flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Evarts since 1984, $132K in all. The most claims came from Heavy rains (2).

Is Evarts 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 Harlan County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Evarts?

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

By FEMA money that reached Evarts, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 105 households applied for aid, $608K approved. By flood claims, Heavy rains: 2 paid, $2K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Evarts.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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