Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Elysian Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elysian Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (13%). 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 Elysian 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 Elysian Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elysian Township, and Elysian Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 13%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Elysian Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $590K a year in losses across Elysian Township: $480K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elysian Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Elysian Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Elysian 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: Le Sueur County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elysian Township
Disasters that paid out in Elysian Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Elysian Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$19K to Elysian Township for repairs
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$46K to Elysian Township for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$12K to Elysian Township for repairs
- 2014Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$5K to Elysian Township for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$3K to Elysian Township for repairs
Le Sueur 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.
Old photos of Elysian Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elysian Township archive →Elysian Township and its neighbors
Elysian Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elysian Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Elysian | — | 676 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cordova Township | — | 486 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Waterville Township | — | 666 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Janesville Township | — | 535 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cleveland Township | — | 846 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Washington Township | — | 944 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 Elysian 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 Elysian Township
Is Elysian Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elysian Township has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Elysian 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 Le Sueur County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Elysian Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elysian 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 Elysian Township?
By FEMA money that reached Elysian Township, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $46K to Elysian Township for repairs.
Is Elysian Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Elysian Township’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elysian Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elysian 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.