Photo: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA · CC BY 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Culbertson
Culbertson isn’t graded for hazard risk: Culbertson has 567 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1998.
What Culbertson 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
Strong wind
Tornadoes
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 Culbertson flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Culbertson, from FEMA’s records.
Culbertson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Roosevelt County.The storms Culbertson remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Roosevelt County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Culbertson itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Roosevelt County
Roosevelt County has had 4 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 Culbertson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Culbertson archive →Get ready for what Culbertson 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Culbertson
Does Culbertson flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Culbertson since 1998, $11K in all.
Is Culbertson 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 Roosevelt County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Culbertson?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Culbertson’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Culbertson.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Culbertson’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.