Edward Erickson Farmstead · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0For strong wind, Athens Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Athens Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). 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 Athens 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
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 Athens Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Athens Township, and Athens Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Athens Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $763K a year in losses across Athens Township: $589K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Athens Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Athens Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Athens 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: Isanti County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Athens Township
Disasters that paid out in Athens Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Athens Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$3K to Athens Township for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$59K to Athens Township for repairs
Isanti County has had 7 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.
Old photos of Athens Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Athens Township archive →Athens Township and its neighbors
Athens Township is 5th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Isanti | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| East Bethel | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Oxford Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Athens Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Isanti Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Stanford Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Athens 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.
- 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 Athens Township
Is Athens Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Athens Township has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Athens 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 Isanti County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Athens Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Athens Township’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 Athens Township?
By FEMA money that reached Athens Township, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $59K to Athens Township for repairs.
Is Athens Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Athens Township’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Athens Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Athens 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.