Natural hazards · Spencer

Spencer, NE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Spencer comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1995.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Spencer?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Spencer to be higher than in 66% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and drought.

Inland flooding34%Drought25%Cold waves22%Hail6%Tornadoes5%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Spencer 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

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Drought

25% of expected damage

Recorded about 37 times a year in the area

Cold waves

22% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Spencer flood?

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

8paid claims since 1995

$269Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

Biggest named events

March 2019 Midwest Flooding: 3 claims, $161K
Late spring storms: 1 claim, $65K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Boyd County.

Disasters that hit Spencer

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SpencerDeclared for Boyd County only

Boyd County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Spencer

Spencer and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Spencermostly inland floodingHigh

Buttemostly inland floodingHigh

Bristowmostly inland floodingHigh

Mortonmostly inland floodingHigh

Colemanmostly droughtLow

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. Spencer covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Spencer’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Spencer. 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 Spencer total about $3.5M 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.