Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Fairfax

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Minneapolis and St. Louis DepotMinneapolis and St. Louis Depot · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fairfax · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Fairfax than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfax gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then tornadoes (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 63%Tornadoes 19%Strong wind 12%

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

less than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Minnesota · lower than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
63% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 17 declared for Renville County
By hazard

What Fairfax 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

63%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Strong wind

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms top 3% Ice storms Lightning Earthquakes Heat waves top 3% Wildfire Cold waves 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 20% of Fairfax’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 Fairfax’s grade

River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfax, and Fairfax’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 12%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fairfax sits
Fairfax
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding63%Tornadoes19%Strong wind12%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $951K a year in losses across Fairfax: $493K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Fairfax’s 1,250 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Franklin city (493 residents) and Cairo township (196 residents) and Palmyra township (168 residents) and Camp township (161 residents) and Martinsburg township (157 residents) and Wellington township (154 residents) and Bandon township (132 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 Fairfax flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fairfax. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Renville County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairfax

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

  1. 2014Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$10K to the City of Fairfax for repairs
  2. 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$23K to the City of Fairfax for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FairfaxRenville County only

Renville County has had 17 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 Fairfax after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fairfax archive →
Next door

Fairfax and its neighbors

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

Cairo Township: not gradedCamp Township: not gradedCairo TownshipCamp TownshipFairfax
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FairfaxA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding0
Cairo Township—206 residents; we grade 1,000+
Camp Township—149 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 Fairfax 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Fairfax

Is Fairfax at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfax has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and tornadoes (19%). 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 Fairfax 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 Renville County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Fairfax?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fairfax, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $23K to the City of Fairfax for repairs.

Is Fairfax at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Fairfax’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfax.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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