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Businesses on Pacific Avenue, Benson, MNPhoto: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Benson · FEMA

FEMA puts Benson’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benson gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #245 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 91%Tornadoes 5%Strong wind 3%

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

more than 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#245 of 274 in Minnesota
Hazard risk
C−#245 of 274
in Minnesota · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 15 declared for Swift County
By hazard

What Benson 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

91%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Wildfire Ice storms Earthquakes Winter storms Heat waves top 2% Lightning Cold 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 24% of Benson’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Benson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Benson, and Benson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Benson sits
Benson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #245 of 274 in Minnesota; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Tornadoes5%Everything else4%

The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Benson has more expected damage per building than 89% of Minnesota towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Benson: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Benson’s 3,480 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Benson flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Benson. 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

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

Insurance rates: Swift County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Benson

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the City of Benson for repairs
  2. 2022Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$112K to the City of Benson for repairs
  3. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$15K to the City of Benson for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$206K to the City of Benson for repairs
  5. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$30K to the City of Benson for repairs
  6. 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$37K to the City of Benson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BensonSwift County only

Swift County has had 15 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 Benson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Benson archive →
Next door

Benson and its neighbors

Benson has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Torning Township: not gradedSix Mile Grove Township: not gradedBenson Township: not gradedTorning TownshipSix Mile Grove TownshipBenson TownshipBenson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BensonC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding0
Torning Township—402 residents; we grade 1,000+
Six Mile Grove Township—155 residents; we grade 1,000+
Benson Township—261 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Benson 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 ↗
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 Benson

Is Benson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benson has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #245 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%) and tornadoes (5%). 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 Benson 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 Swift County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Benson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Benson, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): $206K to the City of Benson for repairs.

Is Benson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Benson’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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