Photo: LoriLarson · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Farnam
Farnam isn’t graded for hazard risk: Farnam has 257 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Farnam 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
Hail
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 Farnam flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Farnam. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Farnam isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dawson County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Farnam
Disasters that paid out in Farnam itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Farnam), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Dawson County has had 11 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Dawson County, 2026–2026.
Old photos of Farnam after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Farnam archive →Get ready for what Farnam 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.
- 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.
- 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 Farnam
Is Farnam 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 Dawson County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Farnam?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Farnam’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 Farnam?
By FEMA money that reached Farnam, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): 1 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Farnam.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Farnam’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.