Birch Coulee · Photo: JonHarder · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Birch Cooley Township
Birch Cooley Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Birch Cooley Township has 173 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Birch Cooley 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 Birch Cooley Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Birch Cooley Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Birch Cooley 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: Renville County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Birch Cooley Township
Disasters that paid out in Birch Cooley Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Birch Cooley Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$2K to Birch Cooley Township for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to Birch Cooley Township for repairs
Renville County has had 17 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 Birch Cooley Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Birch Cooley Township archive →Birch Cooley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman Township | — | 300 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Morton | — | 384 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Camp Township | — | 149 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Beaver Falls Township | — | 256 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bandon Township | — | 126 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Norfolk Township | — | 163 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 Birch Cooley 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 Birch Cooley Township
Is Birch Cooley 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 Renville County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Birch Cooley Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Birch Cooley 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 Birch Cooley Township?
By FEMA money that reached Birch Cooley Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): $8K to Birch Cooley Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Birch Cooley Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Birch Cooley 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.