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Bridge No. 3355-Kathio TownshipBridge No. 3355-Kathio Township · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kathio Township · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Kathio Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kathio Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 88%Tornadoes 5%Hail 3%

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

more than 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Minnesota · higher than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 7 declared for Mille Lacs County
By hazard

What Kathio 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Wildfire Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Earthquakes 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 13% of Kathio 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Kathio Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kathio Township, and Kathio Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Kathio Township sits
Kathio Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Tornadoes5%Hail3%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $820K a year in losses across Kathio Township: $673K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kathio Township’s 1,507 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Vineland CDP (869 residents) and Onamia city (784 residents) and Bradbury township (208 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 township’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 Kathio Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Kathio 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: Mille Lacs County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Kathio Township

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

  1. 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$7K to Kathio Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Kathio TownshipMille Lacs County only

Mille Lacs County has had 7 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 Kathio Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kathio Township archive →
Next door

Kathio Township and its neighbors

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

Roosevelt Township: not gradedVineland: not gradedSouth Harbor Township: not gradedRichardson Township: not gradedBradbury Township: not gradedHazelton Township: not gradedRoosevelt TownshipVinelandSouth Harbor TownshipRichardson TownshipBradbury TownshipHazelton TownshipKathio Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Kathio TownshipB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding0
Roosevelt Township—644 residents; we grade 1,000+
Vineland—674 residents; we grade 1,000+
South Harbor Township—924 residents; we grade 1,000+
Richardson Township—446 residents; we grade 1,000+
Bradbury Township—181 residents; we grade 1,000+
Hazelton Township—677 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 Kathio 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.
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 ↗
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 Kathio Township

Is Kathio Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kathio Township has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and tornadoes (5%). 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 Kathio 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 Mille Lacs County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kathio Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kathio Township, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $7K to Kathio Township for repairs.

Is Kathio Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Kathio Township’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kathio Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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