Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Lancaster
Lancaster isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lancaster has 315 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1979.
What Lancaster 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
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.
Does Lancaster flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lancaster, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $2K
Lancaster isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kittson County.The storms Lancaster remembers
None of the 25 disasters declared for Kittson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lancaster itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19797 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Kittson County
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Kittson County
Kittson County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lancaster after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lancaster archive →Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granville Township | — | 58 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Poppleton Township | — | 87 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 Lancaster 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.
- 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 Lancaster
Does Lancaster flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Lancaster since 1979, $24K in all. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (1).
Is Lancaster 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 Kittson County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lancaster?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lancaster’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 Lancaster?
By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $2K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lancaster.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lancaster’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.