Natural disaster risk in Smith County, Kansas
Kansas · population 3,570 · FIPS 20183
Overall: very low risk
Smith County has a composite risk score of 21.2 out of 100 — higher than 21% of US counties. It ranks 53 of 105 in Kansas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hail, drought, strong wind.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Smith County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
Drought in Smith 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. |
Very low 21.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $8.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 27.4 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 28.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 74.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Smith County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively high 94 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 49 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 39 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 34 |
| Wildfire | Very low 40 |
| Heat wave | Very low 22 |
| Cold wave | Very low 15 |
| Earthquake | Very low 12 |
| Landslide | Very low 12 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 10 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Smith County
Federal declarations that designated Smith County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Smith County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4869-KS (Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires), declared 21 May 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4869-KS | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires | 21 May 2025 | 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 Smith County, Kansas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Smith County as very low, with a score of 21.2 out of 100 (higher than 21% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Smith County?
The hazards rated highest for Smith County are hail (relatively high), drought (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Smith County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Smith County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Smith County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Smith County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4869-KS (Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires), declared 21 May 2025.
Is Smith County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Smith County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
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