Storms, floods and disasters in Bigelow Township
Bigelow Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bigelow Township has 393 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Bigelow 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.
Does Bigelow Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bigelow Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bigelow 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: Nobles County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bigelow Township
Disasters that paid out in Bigelow Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bigelow Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to Bigelow Township for repairs
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$12K to Bigelow Township for repairs
- 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$10K to Bigelow Township for repairs
- 2014Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$9K to Bigelow Township for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to Bigelow Township for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$18K to Bigelow Township for repairs
Show all 7
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$22K to Bigelow Township for repairs
Nobles County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bigelow Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bigelow Township archive →Bigelow Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Lake Township | — | 162 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Worthington Township | — | 438 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bigelow | — | 297 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ransom Township | — | 198 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 Bigelow 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 Bigelow Township
Is Bigelow 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 Nobles County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bigelow Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bigelow 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 Bigelow Township?
By FEMA money that reached Bigelow Township, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $22K to Bigelow Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bigelow Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bigelow 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.