Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Overly
Overly isn’t graded for hazard risk: Overly has 10 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Overly 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
Winter storms
Ice storms
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); winter storms is FEMA’s “Winter Weather” (snow, sleet and freezing rain). 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 Overly flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Overly. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Overly isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bottineau County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Overly
Disasters that paid out in Overly itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Overly), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2001Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation$2K to the City of Overly for repairs
Bottineau 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 Overly after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Overly archive →Get ready for what Overly 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 Overly
Is Overly 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 Bottineau County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Overly?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Overly’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 Overly?
By FEMA money that reached Overly, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation (2001): $2K to the City of Overly for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Overly.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Overly’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.