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Friesen Historic Site in summer, Clara City, MinnesotaPhoto: Heritage Preservation Department - MNHS · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Clara City · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Clara City than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clara City gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1997.

River and rain flooding 87%Tornadoes 8%Strong wind 4%

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

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Minnesota · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1997 · $23K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 16 declared for Chippewa County
By hazard

What Clara City 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

87%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Ice storms Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves top 2% Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 15% of Clara City’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Clara City’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clara City, and Clara City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Clara City sits
Clara City
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Clara City’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Tornadoes8%Strong wind4%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Clara City: $867K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Clara City’s 1,423 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Rheiderland township (314 residents) and Lone Tree township (242 residents) and Crate township (194 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Clara City flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1997

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clara City, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19972001
19972026
Biggest named events
  • The Severe flooding1 claim · $11K
2
paid claims since 1997
$23K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Clara City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Chippewa County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clara City

Disasters that paid out in Clara City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Clara City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$44K to the City of Clara City for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$36K to the City of Clara City for repairs
  3. 2010Flooding$19K to the City of Clara City for repairs
  4. 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$11K to the City of Clara City for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Clara CityChippewa County only

Chippewa County has had 16 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Clara City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Clara City archive →
Next door

Clara City and its neighbors

Clara City has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Stoneham Township: not gradedRheiderland Township: not gradedStoneham TownshipRheiderland TownshipClara City
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Clara CityC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding2
Stoneham Township—227 residents; we grade 1,000+
Rheiderland Township—242 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Clara City faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Clara City

Is Clara City at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clara City has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and tornadoes (8%). 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 Clara City flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Clara City since 1997, $23K in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Severe flooding (1).

Is Clara City 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 Chippewa County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Clara City?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clara City’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 Clara City?

By FEMA money that reached Clara City, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $44K to the City of Clara City for repairs. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 1 paid, $11K.

Is Clara City at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Clara City’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clara City.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clara City’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.