Natural hazards · Columbia

Columbia, KS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Columbia comes from inland flooding, 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 Columbia?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Columbia to be higher than in 56% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding30%Tornadoes25%Cold waves11%Ice storms9%Hail7%Strong wind7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Columbia faces

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

Inland flooding

30% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

25% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Ice storms

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Winter weatherHeat 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 Columbia flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Ellsworth County.

Disasters that hit Columbia

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ColumbiaDeclared for Ellsworth County only

Ellsworth County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Columbia

Columbia and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Golden Beltmostly inland floodingHigh

Shermanmostly inland floodingHigh

Columbiamostly inland floodingModerate

Black Wolfmostly inland floodingModerate

Wilsonmostly 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. Columbia 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 Columbia’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Columbia. 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.