Helena Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Helena Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then strong wind (20%). 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 Helena 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
Strong wind
Tornadoes
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 Helena Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Helena Township, and Helena Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 20%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Helena Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $929K a year in losses across Helena Township: $697K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Helena Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Helena Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Helena 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: Scott County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Helena Township
Disasters that paid out in Helena Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Helena Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$18K to Helena Township for repairs
Scott County has had 12 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 Helena Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Helena Township archive →Helena Township and its neighbors
Helena Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Prague | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cedar Lake Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Helena Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Sand Creek Township | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Belle Plaine Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Helena 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Helena Township
Is Helena Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Helena Township has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and strong wind (20%). 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 Helena 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 Scott County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Helena Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Helena 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 Helena Township?
By FEMA money that reached Helena Township, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2014): $18K to Helena Township for repairs.
Is Helena Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Helena Township’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Helena Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Helena 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.