Flood risk, explained from FEMA's own data
Know your flood risk before the water does
Flood zones in plain English, what flood insurance really covers, and how often your county has flooded since 1978.
Buying a home in a flood zone?
What the zone means, whether your lender will require flood insurance, and what it costs.
Flood insurance bill or lender letter?
Why NFIP prices changed, how to challenge a high-risk zone, and other ways to insure.
Flooded in a disaster?
7 FEMA disaster registrations are open. Apply before the deadline.How FEMA disaster assistance works and how to apply when a disaster is declared.
Dealing with flood or water damage?
What to do first, how to file a claim, and what your insurance covers.
Prevent future flood damage
Keep water out of your home and know when to act on a forecast.
Look up your county
Flood claims since 1978, what flood insurance costs there, and past flood disasters.
Then pick your county from the state's list.
2,705,816NFIP flood claims since 1978
$89.7 billionPaid by the NFIP
2.9%of US homes have NFIP flood insurance
27%of claims came from outside high-risk zoneswhere the zone is recorded
Calculated from FEMA's OpenFEMA data. How we use it.
Open FEMA disaster registrations
If your county is covered, you can apply for FEMA Individual Assistance until the deadline.
| Declaration | State | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4953-WV | West Virginia | Oct 7, 2026 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Apply by Dec 7, 2026 →Closed Dec 7, 2026 |
| DR-4949-WI | Wisconsin | Oct 7, 2026 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | Apply by Dec 7, 2026 →Closed Dec 7, 2026 |
| DR-4945-OH | Ohio | Oct 2, 2026 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Landslides | Apply by Dec 1, 2026 →Closed Dec 1, 2026 |
| DR-4941-SD | South Dakota | Sep 1, 2026 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | Apply by Oct 31, 2026 →Closed Oct 31, 2026 |
| DR-4936-HI | Hawaii | Sep 1, 2026 | Earthquake | Apply by Nov 1, 2026 →Closed Nov 1, 2026 |
| DR-4933-IN | Indiana | Aug 25, 2026 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Apply by Oct 25, 2026 →Closed Oct 25, 2026 |
| DR-4932-WV | West Virginia | Aug 3, 2026 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Apply by Oct 17, 2026 →Closed Oct 17, 2026 |
Flood zones and maps
- FEMA flood zones explainedWhat every FEMA flood zone code means (A, AE, AO, AH, V, VE, X, B, C, D), which zones are high risk, and when flood insurance is required.
- What flood zone am I in?How to look up your flood zone by address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, read the map, and what to do if your area is unmapped or the map looks wrong.
- Base flood elevation (BFE)What a base flood elevation (BFE) is, how to read it on a FEMA flood map, which zones have one, how to find yours, and its role in building rules and insurance.
- What is a 100-year flood?A 100-year flood has a 1% chance of happening in any year, not once a century. What that means over a mortgage, plus 500-year floods, floodplains and floodways.
- Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)What a FEMA Letter of Map Amendment is, who qualifies, how to apply online or with the MT-EZ form, what it costs, how long it takes, and what it means for insurance.
- FEMA elevation certificateWhat a FEMA elevation certificate is, who fills it out, when you need one for flood insurance, permits or a LOMA, how to find an existing one, and what it costs.
Look up a specific zone:
Flood insurance
- Do I need flood insurance?When flood insurance is required by law or your lender, why homeowners insurance and FEMA aid don't replace it, and options for renters.
- What flood insurance covers (and what it doesn't)What an NFIP flood policy pays for: building and contents limits, basement limits, exclusions, deductibles, the 30-day wait and ICC coverage.
- How much does flood insurance cost?How NFIP flood insurance premiums are set under Risk Rating 2.0, FEMA's latest national cost data, the 18% yearly cap, fees, and discounts.
- Private flood insuranceWhat private flood insurance is, when your lender must accept it, coverage to compare with an NFIP policy, and the discounts you can lose by leaving the NFIP.
- Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?What state insurance regulators say about burst pipes, appliance and roof leaks, slow leaks, sewer backup, mold, flood, and renters insurance.
- How to file a flood insurance claimStep-by-step NFIP flood claim guide: reporting the loss, photos and samples, the adjuster, the 60-day proof of loss, advance payments, and appeals.
Before and after a flood
- Flood watch vs. flood warningNational Weather Service definitions of a flood watch, flood warning, flash flood warning, flash flood emergency and flood advisory, and what to do for each.
- What to do after a floodStep-by-step guide to a flooded house or basement: staying safe, photographing damage for insurance, what to throw out, drying out within 24-48 hours.
- FEMA disaster assistanceWhat FEMA's Individuals and Households Program pays for, current maximum amounts, how to apply and appeal, SBA disaster loans, and how to spot scams.
- Mold after water damageHow fast mold follows a leak or flood, when you can clean it yourself, what EPA and CDC say about bleach, black mold, testing and indoor humidity.
Around the house
- How to prevent basement floodingHow water gets into basements, and FEMA and extension advice on gutters, grading, sump pumps with battery backup, backwater valves, alarms and insurance.
- Frozen pipes: prevention, thawing and burst pipesAt what temperature pipes freeze, how to keep them from freezing, how to thaw them without a flame, where the main shut-off is, and what insurance covers.
- Water heater leaking: what to do, maintenance and lifespanWhat to do first when a water heater leaks, where leaks come from, the relief valve, how to flush the tank, how long water heaters last, and insurance.
Flood history by state
NFIP claims, insurance rates and flood disasters for every state and county.
- ALAlabama
- AKAlaska
- AZArizona
- ARArkansas
- CACalifornia
- COColorado
- CTConnecticut
- DEDelaware
- DCDistrict of Columbia
- FLFlorida
- GAGeorgia
- HIHawaii
- IDIdaho
- ILIllinois
- INIndiana
- IAIowa
- KSKansas
- KYKentucky
- LALouisiana
- MEMaine
- MDMaryland
- MAMassachusetts
- MIMichigan
- MNMinnesota
- MSMississippi
- MOMissouri
- MTMontana
- NENebraska
- NVNevada
- NHNew Hampshire
- NJNew Jersey
- NMNew Mexico
- NYNew York
- NCNorth Carolina
- NDNorth Dakota
- OHOhio
- OKOklahoma
- OROregon
- PAPennsylvania
- RIRhode Island
- SCSouth Carolina
- SDSouth Dakota
- TNTennessee
- TXTexas
- UTUtah
- VTVermont
- VAVirginia
- WAWashington
- WVWest Virginia
- WIWisconsin
- WYWyoming
- PRPuerto Rico