Clay County Courthouse · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Clay Center
Clay Center isn’t graded for hazard risk: Clay Center has 802 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Clay Center 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
Hail
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 Clay Center flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Clay Center. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Clay Center isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clay County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Clay Center
Disasters that paid out in Clay Center itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Clay Center), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Winter Storms$3K to the City of Clay Center for repairs
Clay County has had 16 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 Clay Center after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clay Center archive →Clay Center 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lone Tree Township | — | 119 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Marshall Township | — | 45 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lynn Township | — | 61 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lewis Township | — | 126 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 Clay Center 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.
- 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.
- 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 Clay Center
Is Clay Center 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 Clay County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clay Center?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clay Center’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 Clay Center?
By FEMA money that reached Clay Center, Severe Winter Storms (2006): $3K to the City of Clay Center for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clay Center.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clay Center’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.