Natural hazards · Center

Center, KS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Center comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Center?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Center to be higher than in 69% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and wildfires.

Inland flooding46%Wildfire15%Tornadoes12%Ice storms6%Everything else21%

By hazard

What Center faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Ice storms

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

HailWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Center flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Center.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Center isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Lyon County.

Disasters that hit Center

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Lyon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Center itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into CenterDeclared for Lyon County only

Lyon County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Center

Center and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bazaarmostly inland floodingVery high

Matfieldmostly inland floodingVery high

Madisonmostly inland floodingVery high

Centermostly inland floodingHigh

Elmendaromostly inland floodingHigh

Pikemostly inland floodingHigh

Emporiamostly inland floodingModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Center is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Center’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Center. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.