Photo: Myotus · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Chisholm than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chisholm gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #110 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Chisholm 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
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 Chisholm’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chisholm, and Chisholm’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B #110 of 274 in Minnesota; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Chisholm’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, Chisholm has less expected damage per building than 60% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Chisholm: $966K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chisholm flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chisholm. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chisholm isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: St. Louis County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chisholm
Disasters that paid out in Chisholm itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Chisholm), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding139 households applied for aid$305K aid approved$260K to the City of Chisholm for repairs
- 1999Severe Storms, Winds, and Flooding$38K to the City of Chisholm for repairs
St. Louis 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in St. Louis County, 2025–2025.
Old photos of Chisholm after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chisholm archive →Chisholm and its neighbors
Chisholm has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chisholm | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Balkan Township | — | 843 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 Chisholm 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.
- 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 Chisholm
Is Chisholm at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chisholm has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #110 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Chisholm 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 St. Louis County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Chisholm?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chisholm’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 Chisholm?
By FEMA money that reached Chisholm, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 139 households applied for aid, $305K approved, and $260K to the City of Chisholm for repairs.
Is Chisholm at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Chisholm’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chisholm.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chisholm’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.