Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Osseo than in 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Osseo gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #100 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (12%). 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 Osseo 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
Hail
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 Osseo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Osseo, and Osseo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 10%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #100 of 274 in Minnesota; lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Osseo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Osseo has less expected damage per building than 64% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Osseo: $759K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Osseo flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Osseo. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Osseo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hennepin County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Osseo
Disasters that paid out in Osseo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Osseo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Hennepin 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 Osseo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Osseo archive →Osseo and its neighbors
Osseo is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Grove | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Osseo | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Brooklyn Park | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Osseo 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Osseo
Is Osseo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Osseo has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #100 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 Osseo 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 Hennepin 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 Osseo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Osseo’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 Osseo?
By FEMA money that reached Osseo, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 4 households applied for aid, $1K approved.
Is Osseo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Osseo’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Osseo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Osseo’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.