Photo: Lorie Shaull · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Helga Township faces less hazard damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Helga Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). 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 Helga 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
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 Helga Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Helga Township, and Helga Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Helga Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $528K a year in losses across Helga Township: $364K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Helga Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Helga Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Helga 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: Hubbard County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Helga Township
Disasters that paid out in Helga Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Helga Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2002Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes$17K to Helga Township for repairs
Hubbard County has had 7 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.
Old photos of Helga Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Helga Township archive →Helga Township and its neighbors
Helga Township is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farden Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Helga Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Bemidji Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rockwood Township | — | 544 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Guthrie Township | — | 547 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 Helga 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.
- 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 Helga Township
Is Helga Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Helga Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and tornadoes (7%). 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 Helga 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 Hubbard County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Helga Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Helga 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 Helga Township?
By FEMA money that reached Helga Township, Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes (2002): $17K to Helga Township for repairs.
Is Helga Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Helga Township’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Helga Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Helga 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.