Photo: W.marsh · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in McKee
McKee isn’t graded for hazard risk: McKee has 888 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1981.
What McKee 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
Wildfire
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 McKee flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in McKee, from FEMA’s records.
McKee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jackson County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to McKee
Disasters that paid out in McKee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of McKee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$101K aid approved
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$46K to the City of McKee for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$7K to the City of McKee for repairs
Jackson County has had 28 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Jackson County, 2000–2001.
Old photos of McKee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the McKee archive →Get ready for what McKee 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.
- 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.
- 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 McKee
Does McKee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in McKee since 1981, $58K in all.
Is McKee 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 Jackson County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in McKee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McKee’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 McKee?
By FEMA money that reached McKee, Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2021): 6 households applied for aid, $101K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McKee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McKee’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.