Photo: Crown Star Images · CC BY 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Odessa
Odessa isn’t graded for hazard risk: Odessa has 87 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2013.
What Odessa 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
Strong wind
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 Odessa flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Odessa, from FEMA’s records.
Odessa isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Big Stone County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Odessa
Disasters that paid out in Odessa itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Odessa), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$10K to the City of Odessa for repairs
Big Stone County has had 15 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 Odessa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Odessa archive →Odessa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa Township | — | 143 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Agassiz Township | — | 104 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 Odessa 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Odessa
Does Odessa flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Odessa since 2013, $3K in all.
Is Odessa 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 Big Stone County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Odessa?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Odessa’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 Odessa?
By FEMA money that reached Odessa, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $10K to the City of Odessa for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Odessa.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Odessa’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.