Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Douglas County, NE

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
31055
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 2026-06-14. Plan: Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490), approved 2021-06-14.

Since the plan was approved on 2021-06-14: 7 new hazard declarations (7 incidents) and 289 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): Inland Flooding ($88,124,492 a year), Tornado ($63,943,253) and Hail ($24,432,164).

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 2026-06-14
Plan:
Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)
Approved:
2021-06-14
Days since expiry:
108
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 2021-06-14)

New federal declarations:
7 new hazard declarations (7 incidents): DR-4616-NE (Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds), DR-4778-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), DR-4808-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), DR-4822-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), DR-4838-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), DR-4868-NE (Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds), DR-4896-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding)
Storm Events records since approval:
289 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 6, SRL 5 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 49
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: 14 rows, in the section "Plan clock: Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county" on the following pages.

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

Plan clock

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Douglas CountyCountyExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2022-03-01
Bennington cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2021-07-26
Omaha cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2021-09-09
Ralston cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2022-04-25
Valley cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2021-12-08
Waterloo villageVillageExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2022-01-12
Arlington Public SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2021-12-08
Douglas County West Community SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2022-07-05
Fort Calhoun Community SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2022-01-12
Gretna Public SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2021-12-08
Millard Public SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108
Omaha Public SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108
Ralston Public SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2021-07-16
Westside Community SchoolsSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2026-06-14Papio-Missouri River NRD (FEMA plan 107490)2021-06-142026-06-14-108this jurisdiction approved 2022-01-31

Plan 107490 lists 29 other participants, named in the Excel file.

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 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively HighRelatively High$87,570,043$420,484$133,965$88,124,49294
2TornadoVery HighVery High$33,101,981$1,153$30,840,119$63,943,25311
3HailVery HighVery High$22,114,286$181,321$2,136,557$24,432,164394
4Cold WaveRelatively HighVery High$30,737$33,726$19,543,072$19,607,53542
5Strong WindVery HighVery High$4,899,710$24,978$10,696,985$15,621,673323Includes 39 High Wind and 3 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
6Heat WaveRelatively HighRelatively High$190,204$2$13,966,868$14,157,07328
7Ice StormVery HighVery High$2,451,341n/a$569,402$3,020,7433
8Winter WeatherVery HighVery High$374,767$87$1,253,103$1,627,95697
9WildfireRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$1,253,101$42$66,731$1,319,8741
10LightningRelatively HighRelatively High$208,193n/a$1,086,118$1,294,31130
11DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Moderaten/a$377,312n/a$377,31212
12EarthquakeVery LowRelatively Low$313,690n/a$59,048$372,738Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
13LandslideRelatively LowRelatively Low$6,381n/a$13,361$19,7420No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14HurricaneNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0$0$0$00No 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.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 61.02 (Relatively Low, 42.7); tract 74.09 (Very Low, 36.1); tract 47 (Very Low, 35.9)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 73.03 (Relatively Moderate, 97.9); tract 75.09 (Relatively Low, 93.4); tract 73.17 (Relatively Low, 93.0)
Tornadotract 74.09 (Very High, 99.6); tract 73.18 (Very High, 99.0); tract 67.01 (Very High, 98.8)
Wildfiretract 73.03 (Relatively High, 96.7); tract 73.17 (Relatively Moderate, 95.3); tract 75.09 (Relatively Moderate, 94.6)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 61.02 is Census Tract 61.02). 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 chill42 records, 1996 to 2026 (42 zone-level)1 day to 5 days (median 2 days); 35 with a recorded value5 consecutive days, 2025-02-16 to 2025-02-20, 2 direct deaths, zone-levelCold/Wind Chill, 1996-01-31, $750,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1996 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).Cold/Wind Chill records from May to September (a frost night, not a cold wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)12 records, 1999 to 2013 (12 zone-level)22 days to 312 days (median 167 days); 2 with a recorded value312 days (about 10.2 months), 2012-07-21 to 2013-05-28, a run of 11 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (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)496 records, 1956 to 20260.75 in to 4.5 in (median 1 in); 495 with a recorded value4.5 in hail, 1989-04-27Hail, 2001-04-10, $300,000,000 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Omaha city (103 records), Valley city (42 records), Bennington city (29 records), Ralston city (20 records), Waterloo village (11 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)28 records, 1999 to 2026 (28 zone-level)1 day to 13 days (median 2 days); 25 with a recorded value13 consecutive days, 2001-07-28 to 2001-08-09, zone-levelHeat, 2005-07-22, $3,000,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2005 dollars)Countywide (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)3 records, 2007 to 2017 (3 zone-level)No damage reported in 3 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)94 records, 1997 to 2025 (7 zone-level)Flash Flood, 1999-08-07, $11,000,000 property; crops not reported (1999 dollars), 1 direct deathEvent records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Waterloo village (13 records), Omaha city (9 records), Valley city (8 records), Bennington city (2 records), Ralston city (2 records). Zone-level records (7) apply countywide.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)30 records, 1996 to 2010Lightning, 2001-07-17, damage not reported, 1 direct deathLightning, 2005-08-10, $2,000,000 property; crops not reported (2005 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Omaha city (22 records).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)42 records, 1996 to 2026 (42 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 63 kt (72 mph) (median 51 kt (59 mph)); 42 with a recorded value63 kt (72 mph) measured gust, High Wind, 2025-03-19; NWS zone NEZ052High Wind, 1997-12-30, $40,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1997 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)391 records, 1960 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 100 kt (115 mph) (median 54 kt (62 mph)); 339 with a recorded value100 kt (115 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2008-06-27Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Omaha city (56 records), Valley city (39 records), Bennington city (18 records), Ralston city (9 records), Waterloo village (5 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)23 records, 1956 to 2025F/EF0 to F/EF4 (median F/EF1); 22 with a recorded valueF4 tornado, 1975-05-06, 6.9 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 267 yd wide, $250,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1975 dollars), 3 direct deaths, 118 direct injuriesEvent records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bennington city (2 records), Waterloo village (2 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)1 record, 2014 (1 zone-level)No damage reported in 1 record.Countywide (zone-level records).
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)97 records, 1996 to 2026 (97 zone-level)Heavy Snow, 1997-10-25, $14,000,000 property; $100,000 crops (1997 dollars); NWS zone NEZ052Countywide (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: 29 declarations covering 25 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 dollarsFlagsNotes
2025-10-222025-08-08DR-4896-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind$1,782,778.76new since last plan; within last 5 years
2025-05-212025-03-18DR-4868-NEMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm and Straight-Line WindsWinter Weather$29,435,703.91new since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-10-212024-07-31DR-4838-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$35,604,811.12new since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-09-242024-06-19DR-4822-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$7,080,027.96new since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-08-202024-05-20DR-4808-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$8,121,322.74new since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-05-032024-04-25DR-4778-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesTornado$6,218,040.34new since last plan; within last 5 years
2021-09-062021-07-09DR-4616-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms and Straight-Line WindsStrong Wind$18,807,406.54new since last plan
2020-04-042020-01-20DR-4521-NEMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$60,033,010.84
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$94,555,738.58
2017-08-012017-06-12DR-4325-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line WindsStrong Wind; Tornado$11,690,573.45
2011-08-122011-05-24DR-4013-NEMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding$37,538,013.97
2011-06-182011-06-17EM-3323-NEEmergencyFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4013
2010-07-152010-06-01DR-1924-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$2,700,611.05
2010-02-252009-12-22DR-1878-NEMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms and SnowstormWinter Weather$2,264,297.48
2008-07-182008-06-27DR-1779-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind$11,794,274.38
2008-06-202008-05-22DR-1770-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$4,633,377.02
2005-09-132005-08-29EM-3245-NEEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacueesHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-05-252004-05-20DR-1517-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$811,399.62FEMA's declaration record does not list Public Assistance, but FEMA's PA project summaries show obligations for this county
2003-07-212003-06-09DR-1480-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms and TornadoesTornado$935,886.39
1999-08-201999-08-06DR-1286-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$1,316,196.22
1997-11-011997-10-24DR-1190-NEMajor disasterSevere Snow Storms, Rain, and Strong WindsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1993-07-191993-06-23DR-998-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1990-07-041990-06-10DR-873-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes & FloodingInland Flooding; TornadoPA not declared for this county
1984-07-031984-06-11DR-716-NEMajor disasterTornadoes & FloodingTornado (primary); also designated: Inland FloodingPA not declared for this county
1978-03-241978-03-24DR-552-NEMajor disasterStorms, Ice Jams, Snowmelt & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1975-05-071975-05-07DR-467-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms & TornadoesTornadono Public Assistance recorded
1971-02-231971-02-23DR-303-NEMajor disasterFloodsInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1967-07-181967-07-18DR-228-NEMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

School districts and special districts in this county: $1,634,309.19 (included in the county total above). Public Assistance matched by applicant name to the school districts and special districts FEMA lists as plan participants in this county. They have no row of their own in the jurisdiction table, so their total is listed here. These dollars are already included in the county PA column of the declarations table (the FEMA record places each applicant in this county), so this line is not added to it.

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: 10 rows, $13,942,583.08

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-4641-NE2022-02-23Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesOmaha Public Power District$6,059,014.86
DR-4225-NE2015-06-25Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingOmaha Public Power District$121,013.95
DR-4185-NE2014-07-28Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingOmaha Public Power District$2,555,533.52
DR-4179-NE2014-06-17Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingOmaha Public Power District$164,313.65
DR-4014-NE2011-08-12Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight Line Winds, and FloodingOmaha Public Power District$61,695.49
DR-1945-NE2010-10-21Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornado, and Straight-LinOmaha Public Power District$1,648,233.43
DR-1864-NE2009-12-16Severe Winter StormOmaha Public Power District$1,803,283.01
DR-1739-NE2008-01-11Severe Winter StormOmaha Public Power District$1,407,332.57
DR-1706-NE2007-06-06Severe Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesOmaha Public Power District$81,388.73
DR-1373-NE2001-05-16Severe Winter Storms, Flooding and TornadoesOmaha Public Power District$40,773.87

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 Wave42616001996 to 2026-06-30
Drought12000001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail4961210116001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave28909001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm3000001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding94350221741996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning30000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind4331041084851955 to 2026-06-30Includes 39 High Wind and 3 Strong Wind records.
Tornado233031141950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire1000001996 to 2026-06-30
Winter Weather9711511411996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2025-08-09Thunderstorm Wind87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust$3,810,000 property; crops not reported (2025 dollars)1, 1WATERLOO to (3NO)NORTH OMAHA ARPnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsdeaths or injuries recorded
2025-03-19High Wind63 kt (72 mph) measured gust$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2025 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NEZ052 (DOUGLAS), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2025-02-16Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2025 dollars)1, 0NWS zone NEZ052 (DOUGLAS), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2012-07-21Droughtdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone NEZ052 (DOUGLAS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2012-06-27Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)1, 45NWS zone NEZ052 (DOUGLAS), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2008-06-27Thunderstorm Wind100 kt (115 mph) estimated gust$53,000,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)0, 0MERCER to SOUTH OMAHAB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2001-07-28Heatdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone NEZ052 (DOUGLAS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2001-07-17Lightningdamage not reported1, 0OMAHAB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
1999-08-07Flash Flood$11,000,000 property; crops not reported (1999 dollars)1, 0OMAHAB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1997-10-25Heavy Snow$14,000,000 property; $100,000 crops (zone total, 1997 dollars)0, 0NWS zone NEZ052 (DOUGLAS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
1989-04-27Hail4.5 indamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Hail
1975-05-06TornadoF4, 6.9 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 267 yd wide$250,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1975 dollars)3, 118location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (1,259 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 Wave4.74event-days per yearabout 4.74 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 18 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (60%)902005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought14.5event-days per yearabout 14.5 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)5252000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.00058annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.058%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail6.87events per yearabout 6.87 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)261.1 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave8.16event-days per yearabout 8.16 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 11 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (36.7%)1162005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0events per yearnone modeledUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)01851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm0.909event-days per yearabout 0.909 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)621946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding1.79event-days per yearabout 1.79 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 20 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (66.7%)501996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.157events per year (modeled)about 1 in 6 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning46days per year with a strikeabout 46 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind4.34events per yearabout 4.34 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)1661986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.288events per yearabout 1 in 3 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.000973annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0973%PossibleStorm Events records in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Winter Weather13.7event-days per yearabout 13.7 days per yearHighly likelyStorm Events event-days in 30 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (100%)2602005-11-12 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 2025231307.7
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 202534301.13
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 2025230307.67
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202540301.33
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20252300.0667
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20257300.233
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20253300.1
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20251300.0333
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

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

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave163 of 16326.068.488.2Relatively High 21, Relatively Moderate 134, Relatively Low 8
Drought47 of 16366.875.996.1Relatively Moderate 4, Relatively Low 9, Very Low 34, No Rating 116
Earthquake163 of 1631.17.742.7Relatively Low 1, Very Low 162
Hail163 of 16375.493.099.6Very High 5, Relatively High 122, Relatively Moderate 36
Heat Wave163 of 16312.271.591.0Relatively High 13, Relatively Moderate 128, Relatively Low 21, Very Low 1
Hurricane0 of 163No Rating 163
Ice Storm163 of 16345.179.496.0Relatively High 6, Relatively Moderate 127, Relatively Low 30
Inland Flooding163 of 1631.031.998.0Very High 1, Relatively High 11, Relatively Moderate 26, Relatively Low 82, Very Low 43
Landslide163 of 16323.763.097.9Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 11, Very Low 151
Lightning163 of 1638.535.762.7Relatively Moderate 12, Relatively Low 144, Very Low 7
Strong Wind163 of 16356.687.997.4Very High 3, Relatively High 125, Relatively Moderate 35
Tornado163 of 16355.888.099.6Very High 31, Relatively High 113, Relatively Moderate 19
Wildfire141 of 16318.646.496.7Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 13, Relatively Low 38, Very Low 89, No Rating 22
Winter Weather163 of 16343.578.693.5Relatively High 79, Relatively Moderate 82, Relatively Low 2

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

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.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

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
Douglas CountyCountyExpired on 2026-06-14FMA RL 1, SRL 2; any 22$19,146.210 total; 0 since its plan
Bennington cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$62,178.4951 total; 18 since its plan
Omaha cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14FMA RL 5, SRL 2; any 20$11,350,302.73190 total; 13 since its planIncludes $2,721,494.76 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4521-NE).
Ralston cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$373,520.2831 total; 18 since its plan
Valley cityCityExpired on 2026-06-14FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 7$2,417,452.7489 total; 24 since its plan
Waterloo villageVillageExpired on 2026-06-14FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$189,127.6831 total; 6 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 2021-06-14county-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$115,144,681,808$71,515,739584,423$30,737$33,726$19,543,072under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$57,496,111n/an/a$377,312n/a0.656% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$197,079,571,886n/a584,526$313,690n/a$59,0480.000159%
Hail$115,145,091,292$71,515,739584,427$22,114,286$181,321$2,136,5570.0192%$0
Heat Wave$115,144,681,808$71,515,739584,423$190,204$2$13,966,8680.000165%$0
Hurricane$115,145,091,292$71,515,739584,427$0$0$00%
Ice Storm$115,059,437,274n/a583,830$2,451,341n/a$569,4020.00213%
Inland Flooding$115,104,455,813$33,156,44710,447$87,570,043$420,484$133,965n/a (see note)$710,000$52,588,940.58NRI 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$2,575,285,866n/a13,485$6,381n/a$13,3610.000248%
Lightning$115,145,091,292n/a584,427$208,193n/a$1,086,1180.000181%
Strong Wind$115,145,091,292$71,515,739584,427$4,899,710$24,978$10,696,9850.00426%$38,810,000$0$71,396,347.12
Tornado$115,145,091,292$71,515,739584,427$33,101,981$1,153$30,840,1190.0287%$0$57,024,202.16
Wildfire$7,262,679,335$13,610,73041,293$1,253,101$42$66,7310.0173%
Winter Weather$115,144,681,808$71,515,739584,423$374,767$87$1,253,1030.000325%$0$29,435,703.91

Totals since 2021-06-14 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 251 county-coded records, 116 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $39,520,000; 38 zone-level records, 26 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: $107,050,091.37 on 7 counted declarations.

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
Population584,427
Building value (total, not at risk)$115,145,091,292
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$71,515,739
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively High
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$153,553,537
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)$80,365,329
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively High
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)6Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)5
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition47Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition4

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 total6547449011
of which: Douglas County (unincorporated area)122122203
of which: Valley city0160703
of which: Omaha city522022005
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
Douglas County310073122122203
Bennington city3100740000000
Omaha city315274522022005
Ralston city3100770000000
Valley city3100780160703
Waterloo village3100790000000

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

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential6337239010
2 to 4 unit residential0000000
other residential0161600
non-residential0141401
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

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 41 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). Douglas County, NE: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 31055). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ne/31055/ 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