Francis Arnold House · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Le Sauk Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Le Sauk Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2019.
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 Le Sauk 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 Le Sauk Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Le Sauk Township, and Le Sauk Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Le Sauk Township’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $756K a year in losses across Le Sauk Township: $588K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Le Sauk Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2019
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Le Sauk Township, from FEMA’s records: 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Le Sauk 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: Stearns County.The storms Le Sauk Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Stearns County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Le Sauk Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20232 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20191 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20221 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Stearns County
Stearns County has had 10 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 Le Sauk Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Le Sauk Township archive →Le Sauk Township and its neighbors
Le Sauk Township is 7th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| St. Cloud | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Sauk Rapids | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| St. Wendel Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brockway Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sartell | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Le Sauk Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Watab Township | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Sauk Rapids Township | — | 453 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 Le Sauk 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 Le Sauk Township
Is Le Sauk Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Le Sauk Township has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Le Sauk Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Le Sauk Township since 2019, $29K in all, or 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Le Sauk 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 Stearns County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Le Sauk Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Le Sauk Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Le Sauk Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Le Sauk Township’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Le Sauk Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Le Sauk 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.