Natural hazards · Liberal

Liberal, KS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Liberal comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1982. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Liberal?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Liberal to be higher than in 23% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and inland flooding.

Tornadoes29%Inland flooding21%Hail13%Cold waves12%Strong wind10%Wildfire5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Liberal faces

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

Tornadoes

29% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

21% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 4% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Hail

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Cold waves

12% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Wildfire

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Liberal flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Liberal, from FEMA’s records.

21paid claims since 1982

$97Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19822026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Seward County.

Disasters that hit Liberal

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Liberal itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Liberal.

Brought FEMA money into LiberalDeclared for Seward County only

2017

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$72K to the City of Liberal for repairs

2017

Severe Winter Storm

$807K to the City of Liberal for repairs

2009

Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow

$44K to the City of Liberal for repairs

2006

Severe Winter Storm

$26K to the City of Liberal for repairs

2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

225 households applied for aid $658K aid approved $86K to the City of Liberal for repairs

Seward County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

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. Liberal covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Liberal’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Liberal. 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 Liberal total about $4.6M 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.

Liberal, KS natural hazards

How exposed is Liberal?

What Liberal faces

Tornadoes

Inland flooding

Hail

Cold waves

Strong wind

Wildfire

Lower here

Not a risk here

Does Liberal flood?

Homes that flooded again and again

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

Severe Winter Storm

Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow

Severe Winter Storm

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

How to read this page

Where to, neighbor?

Matches

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