Flooding

6 hazards · Natural hazards

Water at the house line, from every direction.

Riverine, flash, urban, coastal, burn-scar and dam or levee failure. Flooding is the most common disaster declaration in the country, and the causes plan differently — so they are tracked apart, not rolled into one word.

Talk to us about FloodingAll 73 hazards →

What you’d hand your council

The first page of an evidence brief for Riverine Flooding, one of the 6 hazards here. There is one for every hazard your team prepares for.

Evidence brief for Cedar Ridge County (example)

September 14, 2026

Riverine Flooding

Hazard in Flooding, on the established threats & hazards list

Impact
5432112345

Likelihood

Likelihood
4

Likely — Expected within the decade — roughly once in 1 to 10 years (10–100% chance in any year).

Impact
4

Major — Severe effects — casualties possible, serious damage across a significant share of the jurisdiction, essential services disrupted for weeks, outside assistance needed.

Readiness
2

Low — Some elements of capability are in place, but important gaps remain that could significantly limit the organization's ability to perform effectively. Additional development is needed before the capability can be relied upon.

  • 2source documents
  • 58verified mentions
  • 2federal declarations
  • 91.6NRI score, relatively high
Worked example: Cedar Ridge County is fictional. The scores illustrate the format and are nobody's decision. Open a full sample brief →

The 6 hazards in Flooding

Expected annual loss, nationally

Summed over every U.S. county, for the hazards FEMA models

  1. Riverine Flooding$65.3B
  2. Coastal Flooding$993M

Not modelled by FEMA, so shown as the gap they are: Flash Flooding, Urban & Stormwater Flooding, Dam/Levee Failure, Burnscar Flooding.

FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0

How we can help

How we’d help you prepare for Flooding

  1. 1

    We pull your flood history

    Federal declarations, NRI's inland and coastal flooding ratings, and the mitigation projects FEMA has already funded in your county.

  2. 2

    We read your plans for each cause

    Mitigation plan, floodplain and dam safety material, so Flooding is profiled as its own thing instead of folded into “flooding”.

  3. 3

    You leave with a cited brief

    Likelihood, impact and readiness for Flooding on your own scale, every figure tied to its source, ready for the planning team or the council.

Preparing for Flooding

Show where Flooding actually reaches, not just that it can.

Flooding is the most common declaration in the country, and each cause plans differently. We separate them in your evidence so the mitigation that follows is aimed at the right water. A person replies within one business day.

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