Storms, floods and disasters in Leaf Lake Township
Leaf Lake Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Leaf Lake Township has 620 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Leaf Lake 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.
Does Leaf Lake Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Leaf Lake Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Leaf Lake 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Leaf Lake Township
Disasters that paid out in Leaf Lake Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Leaf Lake Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to Leaf Lake Township for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$7K to Leaf Lake Township for repairs
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.
Old photos of Leaf Lake Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Leaf Lake Township archive →Leaf Lake Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Creek Township | — | 487 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Henning Township | — | 309 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Otter Tail Township | — | 520 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Otto Township | — | 565 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ottertail | — | 490 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 Leaf Lake 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 Leaf Lake Township
Is Leaf Lake 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 Leaf Lake Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Leaf Lake 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 Leaf Lake Township?
By FEMA money that reached Leaf Lake Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2009): $23K to Leaf Lake Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Leaf Lake Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Leaf Lake 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.