Heins Block · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Olivia than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olivia gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Olivia 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
Strong wind
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 Olivia’s grade
River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Olivia, and Olivia’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 11%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Olivia’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Olivia: $981K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Olivia flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Olivia. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Olivia isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Renville County.The storms Olivia remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Renville County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Olivia itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Renville County has had 17 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.
Olivia and its neighbors
Olivia has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Bird Island Township | — | 208 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Troy Township | — | 347 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 Olivia 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Olivia
Is Olivia at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olivia has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (18%). 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 Olivia 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 Renville County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Olivia?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Olivia’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Olivia at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Olivia’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Olivia.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Olivia’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.