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Gibbon Baptist ChurchGibbon Baptist Church · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Gibbon · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Gibbon faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gibbon gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then hail (19%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2019.

River and rain flooding 57%Hail 19%Tornadoes 12%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 90%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Nebraska · higher than 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 2019 · $55K
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 16 declared for Buffalo County
By hazard

What Gibbon 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

57%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Strong wind

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 3% Wildfire Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves top 3% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts hail at 33% of Gibbon’s expected losses. Hail does little damage to buildings (19.3%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Gibbon’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gibbon, and Gibbon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 19%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Gibbon sits
Gibbon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Gibbon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Hail19%Tornadoes12%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Gibbon: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Gibbon’s 1,878 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Shelton village (1,034 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Gibbon flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 2019

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gibbon, from FEMA’s records: 13.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2019: 10 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2019
20192026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2019 Midwest Flooding6 claims · $43K
10
paid claims since 2019
$55K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Gibbon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Buffalo County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gibbon

Disasters that paid out in Gibbon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Gibbon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding55 households applied for aid$192K aid approved10 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding29 households applied for aid$32K aid approved
  3. 2006Severe Winter Storms$27K to the City of Gibbon for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GibbonBuffalo County only

Buffalo 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Gibbon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Gibbon archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Gibbon faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Gibbon

Is Gibbon at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gibbon has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and hail (19%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Gibbon flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Gibbon since 2019, $55K in all, or 13.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding (6).

Is Gibbon 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 Buffalo County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Gibbon?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gibbon’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 Gibbon?

By FEMA money that reached Gibbon, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): 55 households applied for aid, $192K approved. By flood claims, March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 6 paid, $43K.

Is Gibbon at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Gibbon’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gibbon.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gibbon’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.