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Joyce HouseJoyce House · Photo: Robert Alan Bowlby · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Snyder · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Snyder faces more hazard damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Snyder gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2000.

River and rain flooding 54%Tornadoes 12%Strong wind 12%

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 85%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Oklahoma · higher than 85% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2000 · $6K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 29 declared for Kiowa County
By hazard

What Snyder 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

54%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Strong wind

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes Cold waves Lightning Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 21% of Snyder’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Snyder’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Snyder, and Snyder’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 12%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Snyder sits
Snyder
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Tornadoes12%Strong wind12%Everything else22%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Snyder: $580K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Snyder’s 1,301 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Lone Wolf town (373 residents) and Mountain Park town (320 residents) and Roosevelt town (254 residents) and Cooperton town (3 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 Snyder flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2000

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Snyder, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2000: 1 claim2001: 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 claims2000
20002026
1
paid claims since 2000
$6K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Kiowa County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Snyder

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms$20K to the City of Snyder for repairs
  2. 2020Severe Winter Storm$27K to the City of Snyder for repairs
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding69 households applied for aid$60K aid approved$17K to the City of Snyder for repairs
  4. 2010Severe Winter Storm$22K to the City of Snyder for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes16 households applied for aid$50K aid approved$10K to the City of Snyder for repairs
  6. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$767 to the City of Snyder for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$20K to the City of Snyder for repairs
  2. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$43K to the City of Snyder for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SnyderKiowa County only

Kiowa County has had 29 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kiowa County, 2008–2025.

Were you here?

Old photos of Snyder after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Snyder archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Snyder 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 ↗
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 Snyder

Is Snyder at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Snyder has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 Snyder flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Snyder since 2000, $6K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Snyder 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 Kiowa County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Snyder?

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

By FEMA money that reached Snyder, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): 69 households applied for aid, $60K approved, and $17K to the City of Snyder for repairs.

Is Snyder at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Snyder’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Snyder.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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