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Wausau FL post office01Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Wausau · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Wausau

Wausau isn’t graded for hazard risk: Wausau has 320 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 29 declared for Washington County
By hazard

What Wausau faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

66%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

River and rain flooding

29%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Wildfire Strong wind Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 14% of Wausau’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (3.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Wausau flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wausau. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Wausau isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Washington County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wausau

Disasters that paid out in Wausau itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wausau), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2018Hurricane Michael23 households applied for aid$714 aid approved$54K to the Town of Wausau for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$8K to the Town of Wausau for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Town of Wausau for repairs
  4. 2004Hurricane Ivan10 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$4K to the Town of Wausau for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WausauWashington County only

Washington County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Washington County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

Old photos of Wausau after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Wausau archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Wausau faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Wausau

Is Wausau in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Washington County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Wausau?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wausau’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Wausau?

By FEMA money that reached Wausau, Hurricane Michael (2018): 23 households applied for aid, $714 approved, and $54K to the Town of Wausau for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wausau.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wausau’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.