Natural hazards · Decatur

Decatur, NE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Decatur comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1982. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Decatur?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Decatur to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and drought.

Inland flooding27%Drought21%Hail15%Tornadoes14%Cold waves9%Wildfire6%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Decatur faces

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

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Drought

21% of expected damage

Recorded about 49 times a year in the area

Hail

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Wildfire

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Decatur flood?

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

2paid claims since 1982

$125Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19822026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 1 claim, $123K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Burt County.

Disasters that hit Decatur

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into DecaturDeclared for Burt County only

2019

Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $4K aid approved

2011

Flooding

43 households applied for aid $274K aid approved

Burt County has had 17 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. Decatur 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 Decatur’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Decatur. 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.