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Norman County Courthouse - Ada, MinnesotaPhoto: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ada · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ada faces less hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ada gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1997.

River and rain flooding 70%Tornadoes 14%Strong wind 5%

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

less than 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Minnesota · lower than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
24
paid since 1997 · $223K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
8
of 27 declared for Norman County

What stands out about Ada’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way8 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 1 flood-prone home bought out and moved with FEMA grants.Remembers 199718 flood claims were paid for 1997 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Ada 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

70%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Strong wind

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms top 0% Hail Ice storms Lightning Earthquakes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 18% of Ada’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Ada’s grade

River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ada, and Ada’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ada sits
Ada
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Ada’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding70%Tornadoes14%Strong wind5%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Ada: $502K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ada’s 1,740 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with McDonaldsville township (165 residents) and Borup city (96 residents) and Mary township (61 residents) and Winchester township (38 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ada flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1997

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ada, from FEMA’s records: 27.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1997: 18 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 3 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 2 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199720022009
19972026
Biggest named events
  • The Winter storm2 claims · $5K
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $7K
24
paid claims since 1997
$223K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Norman County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
8flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1flood-prone home bought out and moved
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ada

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

  1. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$7K to the City of Ada for repairs
  2. 2010Flooding$29K to the City of Ada for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding18 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$96K to the City of Ada for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2006Flooding$18K to the City of Ada for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Winter Storm$13K to the City of Ada for repairs
  6. 2002Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes$272K to the City of Ada for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
  1. 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$310K to the City of Ada for repairs
  2. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the City of Ada for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AdaNorman County only

Norman County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ada archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ada faces

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

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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Ada

Is Ada at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ada has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (14%). 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.

Does Ada flood?

Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Ada since 1997, $223K in all, or 27.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Winter storm (2).

Is Ada 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 Norman County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ada?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ada’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 Ada?

By FEMA money that reached Ada, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $310K to the City of Ada for repairs. By flood claims, Winter storm: 2 paid, $5K.

Is Ada at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Ada’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ada.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ada’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.