Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Carver’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carver gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #117 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Carver’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Carver 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
Hail
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 Carver’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carver, and Carver’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 12%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B #117 of 274 in Minnesota; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Carver’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Carver has less expected damage per building than 58% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Carver: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carver flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carver, from FEMA’s records: 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Midwest Flooding6 claims · $5K
- The June Midwest Flooding1 claim · $5K
Carver is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Carver County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carver
Disasters that paid out in Carver itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Carver), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding$123K to the City of Carver for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2014Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$221K to the City of Carver for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$244K to the City of Carver for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the City of Carver for repairs
- 2010Flooding$26K to the City of Carver for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$14K to the City of Carver for repairs
Carver County has had 13 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 Carver after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carver archive →Carver and its neighbors
Carver is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaska | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Dahlgren Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Carver | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Louisville Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| San Francisco Township | — | 833 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 Carver 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- Carver residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Carver
Is Carver at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carver has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #117 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and tornadoes (13%). 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.
Does Carver flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Carver since 1979, $74K in all, or 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (6).
Is Carver 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 Carver County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Carver?
Carver is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Carver?
By FEMA money that reached Carver, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): $244K to the City of Carver for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 6 paid, $5K.
Is Carver at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Carver’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carver.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carver’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.