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Minden, NEPhoto: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Minden · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Minden faces more hazard damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, led by hail

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minden gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #39 of 57 in Nebraska. Most of that expected damage is hail (32%), then river and rain flooding (30%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hail 32%River and rain flooding 30%Strong wind 18%

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 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#39 of 57 in Nebraska
Hazard risk
C−#39 of 57
in Nebraska · higher than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hail
32% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for Kearney County
By hazard

What Minden faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hail

32%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

River and rain flooding

30%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Strong wind

18%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

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Winter storms top 1% Lightning top 0% Earthquakes Wildfire Heat waves top 2% Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Minden’s grade

Hail is 32% of the building damage FEMA expects in Minden, and Minden’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 18%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Minden sits
Minden
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #39 of 57 in Nebraska; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hail32%River and rain flooding30%Strong wind18%Everything else20%

The typical Nebraska town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Minden has more expected damage per building than 68% of Nebraska towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Minden: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Minden’s 3,118 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Minden flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Minden. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Kearney County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Minden

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

  1. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$15K to the City of Minden for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$8K to the City of Minden for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding25 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  4. 2006Severe Winter Storms$287K to the City of Minden for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MindenKearney County only

Kearney 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 Minden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Minden archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Minden faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Minden

Is Minden at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minden has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #39 of 57 in Nebraska. Most of the expected damage is hail (32%) and river and rain flooding (30%). 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.

Is Minden 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 Kearney County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Minden?

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

By FEMA money that reached Minden, Severe Winter Storms (2006): $287K to the City of Minden for repairs.

Is Minden at risk from hail?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (32%), and Minden’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Minden.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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