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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Hickman · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Hickman faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hickman gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #32 of 57 in Nebraska. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1992.

River and rain flooding 50%Tornadoes 19%Hail 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 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#32 of 57 in Nebraska
Hazard risk
C#32 of 57
in Nebraska · higher than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1992 · $136K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 13 declared for Lancaster County
By hazard

What Hickman 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

50%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Wildfire

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Winter storms Earthquakes Heat waves top 1% Lightning Cold waves 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 tornadoes at 29% of Hickman’s expected losses. Tornadoes do 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 Hickman’s grade

River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hickman, and Hickman’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hickman sits
Hickman
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #32 of 57 in Nebraska; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding50%Tornadoes19%Hail12%Everything else19%

The typical Nebraska town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hickman has more expected damage per building than 55% of Nebraska towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Hickman: $820K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hickman’s 2,607 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Roca village (201 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 Hickman flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1992

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hickman, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 3 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199220082020
19922026
8
paid claims since 1992
$136K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lancaster County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hickman

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

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$111K to the City of Hickman for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$108K to the City of Hickman for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding38 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$45K to the City of Hickman for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HickmanLancaster County only

Lancaster County has had 13 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 Hickman after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hickman archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hickman 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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 Hickman

Is Hickman at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hickman has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #32 of 57 in Nebraska. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and tornadoes (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 Hickman flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Hickman since 1992, $136K in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Hickman 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 Lancaster County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hickman?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hickman, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 7 households applied for aid, $8K approved, and $108K to the City of Hickman for repairs.

Is Hickman at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Hickman’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hickman.

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