Fox Hotel · Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Laverne’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 95% of U.S. towns, led by ice storms
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laverne gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is ice storms (49%), then river and rain flooding (24%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Laverne faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Ice storms
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Hail
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 Laverne’s grade
Ice storms are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Laverne, and Laverne’s rate of ice storms damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 15%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Laverne’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Laverne: $851K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Laverne flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Laverne. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Laverne isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Harper County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Laverne
Disasters that paid out in Laverne itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Laverne), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$143K to the Town of Laverne for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm$101K to the Town of Laverne for repairs
Harper County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Harper County, 2017–2017.
Old photos of Laverne after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laverne archive →Get ready for what Laverne faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Laverne
Is Laverne at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laverne has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is ice storms (49%) and river and rain flooding (24%). 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 Laverne 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 Harper County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Laverne?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laverne’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 Laverne?
By FEMA money that reached Laverne, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2023): $143K to the Town of Laverne for repairs.
Is Laverne at risk from ice storms?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Laverne’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laverne.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laverne’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.