Benson County flood history
North Dakota · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 420 flood insurance claims in Benson County, North Dakota since 1978. The NFIP paid $11.2 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 2011, with 72.
No NFIP claims in Benson County, North Dakota are on record for the last ten years.
95% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.4% of homes in Benson County, North Dakota had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (10 of 2,511 residential buildings).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 14 flood-related disaster declarations covering Benson County, North Dakota. The most recent was DR-4565-ND (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared October 2, 2020.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 17 | $657,491 |
| 2013 | 12 | $140,550 |
| 2012 | 17 | $338,000 |
| 2011 | 72 | $3.3 million |
| 2010 | 28 | $1.6 million |
| 2009 | 26 | $907,214 |
| 2006 | 2 | $0 |
| 2005 | 1 | $0 |
| 2004 | 24 | $624,146 |
| 2003 | 2 | $0 |
| 2002 | 8 | $274,675 |
| 2001 | 36 | $586,880 |
| 2000 | 17 | $60,000 |
| 1999 | 44 | $590,527 |
| 1998 | 30 | $858,238 |
| 1997 | 50 | $654,731 |
| 1996 | 28 | $512,301 |
| 1995 | 6 | $45,250 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms | 2011 | 18 | $867,492 |
| Flooding | 1997 | 25 | $388,701 |
| Late spring storms | 2012 | 17 | $338,000 |
| Severe flooding | 2001 | 10 | $297,800 |
| Late spring storms | 2013 | 10 | $140,550 |
| Winter storm | 2009 | 1 | $0 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 10 residential NFIP policies in Benson County, against 2,511 residential buildings (0.4%). Of the 1 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 1 have an NFIP policy (100%). 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-4565-ND | Oct 2, 2020 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4323-ND | Jul 12, 2017 | Flooding | No |
| DR-4190-ND | Aug 19, 2014 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4128-ND | Jul 12, 2013 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4118-ND | May 29, 2013 | Flooding | No |
| DR-1981-ND | May 10, 2011 | Flooding | Yes |
| EM-3318-ND | Apr 7, 2011 | Flooding | No |
| DR-1907-ND | Apr 30, 2010 | Flooding | No |
| EM-3309-ND | Mar 14, 2010 | Flooding | No |
| DR-1829-ND | Mar 24, 2009 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1597-ND | Jul 22, 2005 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation | No |
| DR-1515-ND | May 5, 2004 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation | No |
| DR-1376-ND | May 28, 2001 | Severe Storms, Flooding, & Ground Saturation | No |
| DR-1334-ND | Jun 27, 2000 | Severe Storms, Flooding and Ground Saturation | 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 North Dakota.
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.
- NFIP Redacted Policies (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP policies in force on June 30, 2026 (a policy counts if its term covers that date and it wasn't cancelled), downloaded 2026-10-08. Policy counts are FEMA's insured units, so a condominium association policy counts each unit. Costs are FEMA's "policy cost" (premium plus reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge) for single-family homes only. Policies FEMA's data doesn't place in a county count toward the state only.
- 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.