Photo: Keith DeBard · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Shawnee
Shawnee isn’t graded for hazard risk: Shawnee has 396 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.
What Shawnee 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.
Does Shawnee flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shawnee, from FEMA’s records.
Shawnee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Perry County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Shawnee
Disasters that paid out in Shawnee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Shawnee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$11K to the Village of Shawnee for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$24K to the Village of Shawnee for repairs
- 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow$946 to the Village of Shawnee for repairs
Perry 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 Shawnee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shawnee archive →Get ready for what Shawnee 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 Shawnee
Does Shawnee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Shawnee since 1979, $3K in all.
Is Shawnee 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 Perry County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shawnee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shawnee’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 Shawnee?
By FEMA money that reached Shawnee, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 6 households applied for aid, $5K approved, and $24K to the Village of Shawnee for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shawnee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shawnee’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.