Vernon’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Vernon comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1979. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Vernon’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Vernon?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 59% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Calmer than 1,116 of the 1,995 Kansas towns we cover.
Vernon covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Vernon faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Strong wind
Heat waves
Does Vernon flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vernon, from FEMA’s records.
- The Thunderstorms2 claims · $102K
Vernon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cowley County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Vernon
Disasters that paid out in Vernon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Township of Vernon) and its biggest flood years.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides$49K to the Township of Vernon for repairs
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding$59K to the Township of Vernon for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$41K to the Township of Vernon for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm$10K to the Township of Vernon for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes$11K to the Township of Vernon for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Township of Vernon for repairs
Show all 7
- 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$6K to the Township of Vernon for repairs
Cowley County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Vernon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vernon archive →Get ready for what Vernon actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Vernon and its neighbors
Vernon ranks 2nd calmest of 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in April–June
The month each of Cowley County’s 24 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Vernon’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Vernon.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Vernon, expected losses total about $1.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vernon.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.