–Not graded

Natural hazards in Homestead Township · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Homestead Township

Homestead Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Homestead Township has 321 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1999.

Flood claims

paid since 1999 · $77K

Disasters paid out here

of 14 declared for Otter Tail County

By hazard

What Homestead 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

76%of expected building damage

Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Smaller shares here

Strong wind Winter storms top 1% Wildfire Hail Lightning Earthquakes Ice storms Cold waves Heat 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 21% of Homestead Township’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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Homestead Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Homestead Township, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

199920012013

19992026

paid claims since 1999

$77K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$15K

average claim

of all homes are insured

No community discount

Homestead 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: Otter Tail County.

Disasters

The storms Homestead Township remembers

None of the 14 disasters declared for Otter Tail County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Homestead Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

20132 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
19991 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
20011 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Otter Tail County

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in Homestead TownshipOtter Tail County only

Otter Tail County has had 14 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 Homestead Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Homestead Township archive →

Next door

Homestead Township and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Butler TownshipNewton TownshipPine Lake TownshipBlowers TownshipHomestead Township

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)
Butler Township	—	272 residents; we grade 1,000+
Newton Township	—	728 residents; we grade 1,000+
Pine Lake Township	—	703 residents; we grade 1,000+
Blowers Township	—	253 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 Homestead 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.

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.

Questions about natural hazards in Homestead Township

Does Homestead Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Homestead Township since 1999, $77K in all.

Is Homestead 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 Otter Tail County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Homestead Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Homestead Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Homestead Township.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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