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Natural hazards · Blair

Blair, NE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Blair comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1978. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Blair?

41
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Blair to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and inland flooding.

Tornadoes35%Inland flooding34%Hail10%Cold waves8%Strong wind7%Everything else7%
By hazard

What Blair faces

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

Tornadoes

35% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 74 years in the area

Inland flooding

34% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 27% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter 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 Blair flood?

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

21paid claims since 1978
$602Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Late spring storms: 6 claims, $424K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Blair isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1buildings floodproofed
Disasters that hit Blair

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BlairDeclared for Washington County only
2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$794K to the City of Blair for repairs
2024

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes

213 households applied for aid $157K aid approved
2019

Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

20 households applied for aid $11K aid approved $8K to the City of Blair for repairs
2014

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

$89K to the City of Blair for repairs
2011

Flooding

99 households applied for aid $434K aid approved $2.6M to the City of Blair for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$163K to the City of Blair for repairs
2009

Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm

$17K to the City of Blair for repairs
2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

5 households applied for aid $9K aid approved $61K to the City of Blair for repairs
1999

Severe Storms and Flooding

$42K to the City of Blair for repairs
Washington County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Blair

Blair and the towns around it

Township 6: High, mostly inland floodingTownship 2: High, mostly inland floodingTownship 5: High, mostly inland floodingNickerson: Very high, mostly inland floodingTownship 7: High, mostly inland floodingElkhorn: Very high, mostly inland floodingHooper: Very high, mostly inland floodingTownship 1: High, mostly inland floodingSummit: High, mostly inland floodingBlair: Moderate, mostly tornadoes BlairTownship 6Township 2Township 5
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Township 5mostly inland floodingHigh
Township 6mostly inland floodingHigh
Township 2mostly inland floodingHigh
Blairmostly 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. Blair covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Blair’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Blair. 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 Blair total about $2.8M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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