La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Crosse-Brookdale Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What La Crosse-Brookdale Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Hail
Strong wind
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.
What’s behind La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Crosse-Brookdale Township, and La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across La Crosse-Brookdale Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does La Crosse-Brookdale Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in La Crosse-Brookdale Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
La Crosse-Brookdale Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rush County.The storms La Crosse-Brookdale Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Rush County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching La Crosse-Brookdale Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Rush County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
La Crosse-Brookdale Township and its neighbors
La Crosse-Brookdale Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse-Brookdale Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Union Township | — | 59 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lone Star Township | — | 166 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Alexander-Belle Prairie Township | — | 128 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Center Township | — | 204 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hampton-Fairview Township | — | 257 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Big Timber Township | — | 134 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what La Crosse-Brookdale Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in La Crosse-Brookdale Township
Is La Crosse-Brookdale Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Crosse-Brookdale Township has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (20%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is La Crosse-Brookdale Township 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 Rush County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in La Crosse-Brookdale Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is La Crosse-Brookdale Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Crosse-Brookdale Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where La Crosse-Brookdale Township’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.