Natural hazards · Towanda

Towanda, KS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Towanda comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1995. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Towanda?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Towanda to be higher than in 71% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding34%Tornadoes22%Wildfire18%Cold waves8%Heat waves6%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Towanda faces

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

Inland flooding

34% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 22 years in the area

Wildfire

18% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 14 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Towanda flood?

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

1paid claims since 1995

$19Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Butler County.

Disasters that hit Towanda

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into TowandaDeclared for Butler County only

2009

Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes

$11K to the City of Towanda for repairs

2005

Severe Winter Storms, Heavy Rains, and Flooding

$14K to the City of Towanda for repairs

Butler County has had 25 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

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. Towanda 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 Towanda’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Towanda. 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.