Natural hazards · Center

Center, KS natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Center?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Center to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and hail.

Tornadoes24%Hail21%Inland flooding18%Strong wind14%Ice storms6%Everything else17%

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.

Tornadoes

24% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 36 years in the area

Hail

21% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

18% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 9% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Strong wind

14% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Ice storms

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Winter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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.

Disasters that hit Center

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into CenterDeclared for Smith County only

Smith County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Center

Center and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lanemostly hailHigh

Blainemostly hailHigh

Washingtonmostly hailHigh

Bannermostly hailHigh

Centermostly tornadoesModerate

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 covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

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.

FEMA’s expected losses across Center total about $1.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.