Banfill Tavern · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0For strong wind, Fridley’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fridley gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #153 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1993.
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 Fridley 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
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 Fridley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fridley, and Fridley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 8%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #153 of 274 in Minnesota; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fridley’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fridley has more expected damage per building than 56% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.3M a year in losses across Fridley: $8.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fridley flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fridley, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fridley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Anoka County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Fridley
Disasters that paid out in Fridley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Fridley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms and Tornadoes$86K to the City of Fridley for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Anoka County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. 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 Anoka County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Fridley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fridley archive →Fridley and its neighbors
Fridley is 3rd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake Park | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Minneapolis | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 108 |
| Fridley | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Coon Rapids | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Brooklyn Park | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Columbia Heights | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Brooklyn Center | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Fridley 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Fridley
Is Fridley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fridley has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #153 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and strong wind (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fridley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Fridley since 1993, $145K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Fridley 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 Anoka County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fridley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fridley’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 Fridley?
By FEMA money that reached Fridley, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2011): $86K to the City of Fridley for repairs.
Is Fridley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Fridley’s rate for it is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fridley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fridley’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.