Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Aberdeen faces more hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aberdeen gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1978.
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
What Aberdeen 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
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.
What’s behind Aberdeen’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Aberdeen, and Aberdeen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Aberdeen’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Aberdeen: $825K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Aberdeen flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aberdeen, from FEMA’s records: 23.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Aberdeen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Brown County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Aberdeen
Disasters that paid out in Aberdeen itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Aberdeen), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$5K to the Village of Aberdeen for repairs
- 2018Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides$62K to the Village of Aberdeen for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Village of Aberdeen for repairs
- 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$803 to the Village of Aberdeen for repairs
Brown 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 Aberdeen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Aberdeen archive →Aberdeen and its neighbors
Aberdeen is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maysville | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Huntington Township | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Aberdeen | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Aberdeen 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.
- 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 Aberdeen
Is Aberdeen at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aberdeen has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Aberdeen flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Aberdeen since 1978, $245K in all, or 23.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Aberdeen 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 Brown County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Aberdeen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Aberdeen’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 Aberdeen?
By FEMA money that reached Aberdeen, Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides (2018): $62K to the Village of Aberdeen for repairs.
Is Aberdeen at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Aberdeen’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aberdeen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Aberdeen’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.