Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Brown County, NE

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
31017
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Expired on 2026-06-29. Plan: Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525), approved 2021-06-30.

Since the plan was approved on 2021-06-30: no new hazard declaration and 87 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Cold Wave ($550,192 a year), Drought ($547,575) and Inland Flooding ($497,596).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Expired on 2026-06-29
Plan:
Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)
Approved:
2021-06-30
Days since expiry:
93
Update underway:
none recorded in FEMA's plan tracker

Until a new plan is approved, FEMA mitigation project grants (HMGP, FMA) need a FEMA exception (44 CFR 201.6(a)(3)).

What changed since your last plan (approved 2021-06-30)

New federal declarations:
none
Storm Events records since approval:
87 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 0
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Brown CountyCountyExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93this jurisdiction approved 2021-08-16
Ainsworth cityCityExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93this jurisdiction approved 2021-07-22
Johnstown villageVillageExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93this jurisdiction approved 2021-06-28
Long Pine cityCityExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93this jurisdiction approved 2021-08-16
Ainsworth Community SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93this jurisdiction approved 2021-08-16
Keya Paha County SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93
Valentine Community SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93
Brown County Rural FireFire/EMS DistrictExpired on 2026-06-29Region 24 (FEMA plan 107525)2021-06-302026-06-29-93this jurisdiction approved 2021-12-01

Plan 107525 lists 27 other participants, named in the Excel file.

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countWhy this hazard can be left outNRI Not Applicable, no declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996Storm Events coverage note
1Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$189$1,332$548,671$550,19218Includes 1 Frost/Freeze record (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
2DroughtRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderaten/a$547,575n/a$547,57549
3Inland FloodingVery LowVery Low$497,596$0$0$497,59612
4HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$104,722$378,469$5,654$488,846251
5TornadoVery LowVery Low$118,791$63,909$83,960$266,66022
6Strong WindVery LowRelatively Low$97,651$33,340$7,337$138,329112Includes 26 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
7WildfireVery LowRelatively Low$88,175$1,073$2,258$91,5052
8Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Low$2,738$565$45,322$48,62564
9Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$769$4$33,870$34,6431
10LightningVery LowVery Low$2,764n/a$24,181$26,9451
11EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$11,775n/a$1,156$12,932Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
12Ice StormVery LowVery Low$8,068n/a$3,924$11,9931
13LandslideVery LowVery Low$81n/a$63$1440No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
HurricaneNot ApplicableNot Applicable0NRI rates hurricane Not Applicable for this county, and no counted federal declaration for this county names it (EM-3245-NE names it but is not counted as a local occurrence; see B1-d).No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local landslide records (Storm Events records this hazard only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

NRI rating of the county's single census tract

Source: 5

HazardCensus tractNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 9750 (Very Low, 33.5)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 9750 (Relatively Low, 83.6)
Tornadotract 9750 (Relatively High, 83.5)
Wildfiretract 9750 (Relatively Moderate, 94.5)

A tract number is the Census tract number (for example 9750 is Census Tract 9750). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill17 records, 1996 to 2025 (17 zone-level)1 day to 5 days (median 2 days); 15 with a recorded value5 consecutive days, 2024-01-12 to 2024-01-16, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage1 record, 2020 (1 zone-level)No crop damage reported in 1 record.Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)49 records, 2012 to 2026 (49 zone-level)7 days to 579 days (median 122 days); 7 with a recorded value579 days (19 months), 2022-03-01 to 2023-09-30, a run of 19 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelDrought, 2012-07-01, $30,000,000 property; $10,000,000 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)284 records, 1966 to 20250.75 in to 5 in (median 1 in); 283 with a recorded value5 in hail, 1976-07-30Hail, 1997-06-30, $1,200,000 property; $3,400,000 crops (1997 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ainsworth city (113 records), Johnstown village (76 records), Long Pine city (44 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)1 record, 2011 (1 zone-level)5 days; 1 with a recorded value5 consecutive days, 2011-07-16 to 2011-07-20, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)1 record, 2011 (1 zone-level)No damage reported in 1 record.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)12 records, 1996 to 2024Flash Flood, 1997-06-30, $500,000 property; crops not reported (1997 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Long Pine city (5 records), Ainsworth city (4 records), Johnstown village (1 record).Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)1 record, 2012Lightning, 2012-08-01, $2,000 property; $0 crops (2012 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Long Pine city (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)26 records, 1996 to 2025 (26 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 57 kt (66 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 25 with a recorded value57 kt (66 mph) measured, High Wind, 2002-08-26; NWS zone NEZ008Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)117 records, 1962 to 202550 kt (58 mph) to 95 kt (109 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 95 with a recorded value95 kt (109 mph), measurement type not recorded, Thunderstorm Wind, 1999-06-22Thunderstorm Wind, 2025-07-19, $1,000,000 property; $0 crops (2025 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ainsworth city (38 records), Johnstown village (19 records), Long Pine city (14 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)38 records, 1955 to 2025F/EF0 to F/EF2 (median F/EF0); 32 with a recorded valueF2 tornado, 1979-07-07, 3.3 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 300 yd wide, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1979 dollars), 1 direct injuryEvent records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ainsworth city (8 records), Johnstown village (8 records), Long Pine city (4 records).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)2 records, 2012 to 2025 (2 zone-level)Wildfire, 2012-07-20, $1,000 property; $1,000,000 crops (2012 dollars), 1 direct injury (reported for the zone); NWS zone NEZ008Countywide (zone-level records).
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)64 records, 1996 to 2023 (64 zone-level)Blizzard, 2009-04-04, $30,000 property; $0 crops (2009 dollars); NWS zone NEZ008Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 11 declarations covering 8 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsNotes
2020-04-042020-01-20DR-4521-NEMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$27,585.12
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3483-NEEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4521
2019-03-212019-03-09DR-4420-NEMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Strong Wind, Winter Weather$1,696,166.35
2010-07-152010-06-01DR-1924-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$274,475.36
2010-02-252009-12-22DR-1878-NEMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms and SnowstormWinter Weather$317,488.96
2008-06-202008-05-22DR-1770-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$128,713.02
2007-06-062007-05-04DR-1706-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Tornado$138,811.29
2007-01-072006-12-19DR-1674-NEMajor disasterSevere Winter StormsWinter Weather$115,675.23
2005-09-132005-08-29EM-3245-NEEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacueesHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2001-05-162001-04-10DR-1373-NEMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms, Flooding and TornadoesInland Flooding; Tornado; Winter Weather$306,436.89
1967-07-181967-07-18DR-228-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1964-07-201964-07-20DR-174-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Flooding
1963-07-171963-07-17DR-156-NEMajor disasterHeavy Rains & FloodingInland Flooding
1962-09-051962-09-05DR-134-NEMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1962-05-101962-05-10DR-131-NEMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1960-04-041960-04-04DR-98-NEMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Public Assistance filed under this county for declarations that do not list it: 5 rows, $598,192.29

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-4375-NE2018-06-29Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line WindsKBR Rural Public Power District$441,928.69
DR-4321-NE2017-06-26Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line WindsKBR Rural Public Power District$39,594.06
DR-4185-NE2014-07-28Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingKBR Rural Public Power District$22,703.53
DR-1853-NE2009-07-31Severe Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesKBR Rural Public Power District$34,612.14
DR-1627-NE2006-01-26Severe Winter StormKBR Rural Public Power District$59,353.87

FEMA's Public Assistance summaries file these applicants under this county, but FEMA's declaration rows for these disasters do not designate it (an electric cooperative or district serving several counties, for example). Not in any declaration row above and not counted.

Public Assistance not placed in any Nebraska county: 7 rows, $3,747,676.55; listed on the Nebraska state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave18404001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 1 Frost/Freeze record.
Drought4930030001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail28423423001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding12101601996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind14316515101955 to 2026-06-30Includes 26 High Wind records.
Tornado38616301950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire2101001996 to 2026-06-30
Winter Weather64616401996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2024-01-12Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2024 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NEZ008 (BROWN), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2022-03-01Droughtdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone NEZ008 (BROWN), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2012-08-01Lightning$2,000 property; $0 crops (2012 dollars)0, 0LONG PINEB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2012-07-20Wildfire$1,000 property; $1,000,000 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)0, 1NWS zone NEZ008 (BROWN), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2012-07-01Drought$30,000,000 property; $10,000,000 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NEZ008 (BROWN), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: Drought
2011-07-16Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NEZ008 (BROWN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2009-04-04Blizzard$30,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2009 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NEZ008 (BROWN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2002-08-26High Wind57 kt (66 mph) measured$20,000 property; $5,000 crops (zone total, 2002 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NEZ008 (BROWN), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1999-06-22Thunderstorm Wind95 kt (109 mph), measurement type not recorded$250,000 property; crops not reported (1999 dollars)0, 0AINSWORTHB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
1997-06-30Flash Flood$500,000 property; crops not reported (1997 dollars)0, 0LONG PINEB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1979-07-07TornadoF2, 3.3 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 300 yd wide$2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1979 dollars)0, 1location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1976-07-30Hail5 indamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Hail

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (613 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave6.63event-days per yearabout 6.63 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 13 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (43.3%)1262005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought42.1event-days per yearabout 42.1 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 8 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (26.7%)1,0642000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000455annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0455%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail5.03events per yearabout 5.03 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)191.3 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave4event-days per yearabout 4 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)652005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricaneevents per year1851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNot Applicable in NRI for this county; no descriptor.
Ice Storm0.133event-days per yearabout 0.133 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)91946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.286event-days per yearabout 0.286 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 7 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (23.3%)81996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.525events per year (modeled)about 0.53 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning41.1days per year with a strikeabout 41.1 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind1.71events per yearabout 1.71 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)651986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.454events per yearabout 1 in 2 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.00127annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.127%PossibleStorm Events records in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Winter Weather17.3event-days per yearabout 17.3 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 24 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (80%)3292005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 2025154305.13
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 202517300.567
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202568302.27
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202514300.467
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20254300.133
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202518300.6
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20250300
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20254300.133

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

NRI risk score of the county's single census tract

Source: 5

HazardTract scoreNRI score, 0 to 100Rating
Cold Wave96.6Very High
Drought98.9Relatively High
Earthquake33.5Very Low
Hail99.2Very High
Heat Wave48.5Relatively Low
HurricaneNot Applicable
Ice Storm75.2Relatively Moderate
Inland Flooding44.6Relatively Low
Landslide83.6Relatively Low
Lightning79.0Relatively High
Strong Wind95.0Relatively High
Tornado83.5Relatively High
Wildfire94.5Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather98.4Very High

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Brown CountyCountyExpired on 2026-06-29FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$1,258,094.490 total; 0 since its plan
Ainsworth cityCityExpired on 2026-06-29FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$571,660.50163 total; 14 since its plan
Johnstown villageVillageExpired on 2026-06-29no Public Assistance recorded104 total; 11 since its planNo NFIP community ID on this jurisdiction's plan row.
Long Pine cityCityExpired on 2026-06-29FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$32,643.9968 total; 9 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2021-06-30county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$1,077,559,154$374,354,8132,898$189$1,332$548,671under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$20,979,804n/an/a$547,575n/a2.61% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$1,877,560,579n/a2,903$11,775n/a$1,1560.000627%
Hail$1,077,559,154$374,354,8132,898$104,722$378,469$5,6540.00972%$0
Heat Wave$1,077,559,154$374,354,8132,898$769$4$33,870under 0.0001%
HurricaneNot Applicable in NRI for this county
Ice Storm$1,077,306,387n/a2,896$8,068n/a$3,9240.000749%
Inland Flooding$1,077,334,533$00$497,596$0$0n/a (see note)$20,000NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$16,299,769n/a29$81n/a$630.000497%
Lightning$1,077,559,154n/a2,898$2,764n/a$24,1810.000257%
Strong Wind$1,077,559,154$374,354,8132,898$97,651$33,340$7,3370.00906%$1,080,000$0
Tornado$1,077,559,154$374,354,8132,898$118,791$63,909$83,9600.011%$16,000
Wildfire$256,213,713$230,834,228835$88,175$1,073$2,2580.0344%$500,000
Winter Weather$1,077,559,154$374,354,8132,898$2,738$565$45,3220.000254%$0

Totals since 2021-06-30 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 43 county-coded records, 32 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $1,116,000; 44 zone-level records, 14 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $500,000 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: no counted declaration since the plan.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population2,898
Building value (total, not at risk)$1,077,559,154
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$374,354,813
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$1,959,587
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$756,398
Social vulnerability ratingVery Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively Low
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0020200

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Brown County3104180000000
Ainsworth city3103380000000
Long Pine city3102960000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Brown County, NE: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 31017). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ne/31017/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: contact@hazardplain.org