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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Nessel Township · FEMA

FEMA puts Nessel Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nessel Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 82%Tornadoes 6%Strong wind 5%

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 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Minnesota · higher than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 8 declared for Chisago County
By hazard

What Nessel 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

82%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Earthquakes Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Nessel Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nessel Township, and Nessel Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Nessel Township sits
Nessel Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Tornadoes6%Strong wind5%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Nessel Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Nessel Township’s 1,907 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Fish Lake township (2,193 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 Nessel Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Nessel 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

Nessel 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: Chisago County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nessel Township

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

  1. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$1K to Nessel Township for repairs
  2. 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$9K to Nessel Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Nessel TownshipChisago County only

Chisago County has had 8 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Chisago County, 2000–2000.

Were you here?

Old photos of Nessel Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Nessel Township archive →
Next door

Nessel Township and its neighbors

Nessel Township is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Rushseba Township: not gradedRoyalton Township: hazard risk C−Fish Lake Township: hazard risk CStanchfield Township: hazard risk C+Rush City: hazard risk C+Rushseba TownshipRoyalton TownshipFish Lake TownshipStanchfield TownshipRush CityNessel Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Stanchfield TownshipC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding1
Rush CityC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding—
Fish Lake TownshipCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding2
Nessel TownshipCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding0
Royalton TownshipC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding—
Rushseba Township—963 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 Nessel 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Nessel Township

Is Nessel Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nessel Township has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Nessel 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 Chisago County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Nessel Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Nessel Township, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $9K to Nessel Township for repairs.

Is Nessel Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Nessel Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nessel Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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