Barton County flood history
Kansas · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 513 flood insurance claims in Barton County, Kansas since 1978. The NFIP paid $2.3 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 1981, with 447, mostly from Flooding.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 8 claims, and the average paid claim was $6,476.
11% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.6% of homes in Barton County, Kansas had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (83 of 13,555 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 7% (67 of 917).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 13 flood-related disaster declarations covering Barton County, Kansas. The most recent was DR-4897-KS (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding), declared December 19, 2025.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 7 | $38,858 |
| 2017 | 1 | $0 |
| 2016 | 2 | $5,269 |
| 2013 | 5 | $24,780 |
| 2009 | 1 | $5,981 |
| 2007 | 9 | $92,046 |
| 2001 | 2 | $970 |
| 1993 | 22 | $17,005 |
| 1989 | 4 | $800 |
| 1987 | 6 | $17,753 |
| 1984 | 1 | $0 |
| 1982 | 3 | $1,230 |
| 1981 | 447 | $2.1 million |
| 1980 | 1 | $811 |
| 1979 | 2 | $146 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flooding | 1981 | 439 | $2.1 million |
| Midwest Flooding | 1993 | 22 | $17,005 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 83 residential NFIP policies in Barton County, against 13,555 residential buildings (0.6%). Of the 917 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 67 have an NFIP policy (7%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4897-KS | Dec 19, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4869-KS | May 21, 2025 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires | No |
| DR-4811-KS | Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4747-KS | Oct 26, 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4449-KS | Jun 20, 2019 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,Landslides,And Mudslides | No |
| DR-4417-KS | Feb 25, 2019 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4230-KS | Jul 20, 2015 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4150-KS | Oct 22, 2013 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4010-KS | Jul 29, 2011 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | No |
| DR-1776-KS | Jul 9, 2008 | Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes | No |
| DR-1699-KS | May 6, 2007 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1535-KS | Aug 3, 2004 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | No |
| DR-1366-KS | Apr 27, 2001 | Severe Storms, Hail, Flooding and Tornadoes | Yes |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of Kansas.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.