Heppner Hotel · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Heppner than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Heppner 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 (57%), then wildfire (40%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2012.
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 stands out about Heppner’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Heppner 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
Wildfire
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 Heppner’s grade
River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Heppner, and Heppner’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 40%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Heppner’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Heppner: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Heppner flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Heppner, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Heppner is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Morrow County.The storms Heppner remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Morrow County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Heppner itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20121 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Morrow County has had 5 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Morrow County, 2024–2024.
Old photos of Heppner after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Heppner archive →Get ready for what Heppner 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Heppner residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Heppner
Is Heppner at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Heppner 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 (57%) and wildfire (40%). 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 Heppner flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Heppner since 2012, $2K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Heppner 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 Morrow County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Heppner?
Heppner is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Heppner at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Heppner’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Heppner.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Heppner’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.