Natural hazards · Garfield

Garfield, NE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Garfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2010.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Garfield?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Garfield to be higher than in 59% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding51%Tornadoes15%Drought11%Wildfire7%Hail5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Garfield faces

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

Inland flooding

51% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Drought

11% of expected damage

Recorded about 39 times a year in the area

Wildfire

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Hail

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Garfield flood?

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

3paid claims since 2010

$14Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20102026

Biggest named events

March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 2 claims, $11K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Custer County.

Disasters that hit Garfield

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Custer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Garfield itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into GarfieldDeclared for Custer County only

Custer County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Garfield

Garfield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Broken Bowmostly inland floodingVery high

Berwynmostly inland floodingHigh

Garfieldmostly inland floodingModerate

Westervillemostly inland floodingModerate

Lillianmostly inland floodingModerate

Douglas Grovemostly inland floodingModerate

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. Garfield covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Garfield’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Garfield. 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 Garfield 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.