Natural disaster risk in Cherokee County, Kansas
Kansas · population 19,341 · FIPS 20021
Overall: relatively low risk
Cherokee County has a composite risk score of 53.7 out of 100 — higher than 53% of US counties. It ranks 18 of 105 in Kansas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, ice storm, tornado.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 7 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 95.69% of Cherokee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 7 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Cherokee County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 53.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $17.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 54.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 43.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 35 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Cherokee County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 93 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 85 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 67 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 63 |
| Hail | Relatively low 58 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 54 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 30 |
| Wildfire | Very low 56 |
| Earthquake | Very low 52 |
| Landslide | Very low 38 |
| Hurricane | Very low 26 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Cherokee County
Federal declarations that designated Cherokee County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Cherokee County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4943-KS (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 1 Sep 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4943-KS | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 1 Sep 2026 | No |
| DR-4940-KS | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 1 Sep 2026 | No |
| DR-4926-KS | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 30 Jun 2026 | No |
| DR-4800-KS | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 15 Jul 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Kansas, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Cherokee County, Kansas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Cherokee County as relatively low, with a score of 53.7 out of 100 (higher than 53% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Cherokee County?
The hazards rated highest for Cherokee County are drought (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high), tornado (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Cherokee County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Cherokee County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Cherokee County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Cherokee County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4943-KS (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 1 Sep 2026.
Is Cherokee County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 95.69% of Cherokee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 7 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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