Cook Blacksmith Shop · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Ponca
Ponca isn’t graded for hazard risk: Ponca has 727 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.
What Ponca 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
Wildfire
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 Ponca flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ponca, from FEMA’s records.
- The March 2019 Midwest Flooding1 claim · $30K
Ponca isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dixon County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ponca
Disasters that paid out in Ponca itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Ponca), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$47K to the City of Ponca for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$33K to the City of Ponca for repairs
- 2011Flooding20 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
Dixon 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 Ponca after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ponca archive →Get ready for what Ponca 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.
- 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.
- 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 Ponca
Does Ponca flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Ponca since 1979, $33K in all. The most claims came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding (1).
Is Ponca 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 Dixon County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Ponca?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ponca’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 Ponca?
By FEMA money that reached Ponca, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $47K to the City of Ponca for repairs. By flood claims, March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $30K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ponca.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ponca’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.