St. John's Lutheran Church · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Bradford Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bradford Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #195 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1997.
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 Bradford 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 Bradford Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bradford Township, and Bradford Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #195 of 274 in Minnesota; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bradford Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bradford Township has more expected damage per building than 71% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Bradford Township: $931K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bradford Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bradford Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bradford 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.The storms Bradford Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Isanti County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bradford Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, High Winds, Flooding, declared for Isanti County
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Bradford Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bradford Township archive →Bradford Township and its neighbors
Bradford Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isanti | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cambridge | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bradford Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Isanti Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Springvale Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Stanford Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Spencer Brook Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Bradford 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 Bradford Township
Is Bradford Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bradford Township has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #195 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bradford Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bradford Township since 1997, $20K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bradford 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 Bradford Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bradford Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bradford Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Bradford Township’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bradford Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bradford 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.