Natural disaster risk in Ford County, Kansas
Kansas · population 34,255 · FIPS 20057
Overall: relatively low risk
Ford County has a composite risk score of 51.7 out of 100 — higher than 51% of US counties. It ranks 19 of 105 in Kansas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, hail, ice storm.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 31 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 22.41% of Ford County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 31 weeks in a row.
Drought in Ford 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 51.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $18.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 57.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 24.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 4.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Ford County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 95 |
| Hail | Relatively high 95 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 68 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 63 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 49 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 37 |
| Earthquake | Very low 30 |
| Heat wave | Very low 27 |
| Landslide | Very low 11 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Ford County
Federal declarations that designated Ford County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Ford County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4774-KS (Severe Winter Storm), declared 28 Apr 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4774-KS | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm | 28 Apr 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 Ford County, Kansas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Ford County as relatively low, with a score of 51.7 out of 100 (higher than 51% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Ford County?
The hazards rated highest for Ford County are drought (relatively high), hail (relatively high), ice storm (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Ford County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Ford County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Ford County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Ford County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4774-KS (Severe Winter Storm), declared 28 Apr 2024.
Is Ford County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 22.41% of Ford County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 31 weeks in a row.
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