Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Springfield

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Springfield Community HallSpringfield Community Hall · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Springfield · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Springfield faces more hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Springfield gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 68%Tornadoes 15%Hail 8%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Nebraska · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
14
paid since 1978 · $81K
Flooded more than once
3
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Sarpy County
By hazard

What Springfield 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

68%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Wildfire

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Winter storms Heat waves top 1% Lightning 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 Springfield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Springfield, and Springfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Springfield sits
Springfield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Tornadoes15%Hail8%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Springfield: $987K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Springfield’s 1,501 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Richfield CDP (42 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 Springfield flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Springfield, from FEMA’s records: 23.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 5 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 6 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919841993
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding4 claims · $30K
14
paid claims since 1978
$81K
paid to owners
3
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

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

Insurance rates: Sarpy County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Springfield

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$27K to the City of Springfield for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding32 households applied for aid$133K aid approved
  3. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$48K to the City of Springfield for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$6K to the City of Springfield for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SpringfieldSarpy County only

Sarpy County has had 22 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 Springfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Springfield archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Springfield 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 Springfield

Is Springfield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Springfield has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and tornadoes (15%). 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 Springfield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Springfield since 1978, $81K in all, or 23.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (4).

Is Springfield 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 Sarpy County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Springfield?

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

By FEMA money that reached Springfield, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): 32 households applied for aid, $133K approved. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 4 paid, $30K.

Is Springfield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Springfield’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Springfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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