Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Boys Town
Boys Town isn’t graded for hazard risk: Boys Town has 809 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Boys Town faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Tornadoes
Hail
River and rain flooding
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 Boys Town flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Boys Town. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Boys Town isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Douglas County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Boys Town
Disasters that paid out in Boys Town itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Boys Town), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$11K to the Village of Boys Town for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$65K to the Village of Boys Town for repairs
Douglas County has had 26 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 Boys Town after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Boys Town archive →Get ready for what Boys Town faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- 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 Boys Town
Is Boys Town 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 Douglas County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Boys Town?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Boys Town’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 Boys Town?
By FEMA money that reached Boys Town, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2008): $65K to the Village of Boys Town for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Boys Town.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Boys Town’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.