Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Nisswa than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nisswa gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2016.
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 Nisswa 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 Nisswa’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nisswa, and Nisswa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Nisswa’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Nisswa: $961K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Nisswa flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Nisswa, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Nisswa isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Crow Wing County.The storms Nisswa remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Crow Wing County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Nisswa itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20161 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Crow Wing County has had 9 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 Crow Wing County, 2002–2002.
Old photos of Nisswa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Nisswa archive →Nisswa and its neighbors
Nisswa has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nisswa | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lake Shore | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pequot Lakes | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Edward Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Loon Lake Township | — | 831 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 Nisswa 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 Nisswa
Is Nisswa at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nisswa has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Nisswa flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Nisswa since 2016, $4K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Nisswa 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 Crow Wing County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Nisswa?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Nisswa’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Nisswa at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Nisswa’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nisswa.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Nisswa’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.