Photo: 123dieinafire · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Ramsey faces more hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ramsey gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #253 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1997.
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 Ramsey 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
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 Ramsey’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ramsey, and Ramsey’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #253 of 274 in Minnesota; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ramsey’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ramsey has more expected damage per building than 92% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.7M a year in losses across Ramsey: $10.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ramsey flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ramsey, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ramsey isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Anoka County.The storms Ramsey remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Anoka County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ramsey itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19974 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, High Winds, Flooding, declared for Anoka County
- 20051 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Anoka County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. 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 Anoka County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Ramsey after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ramsey archive →Ramsey and its neighbors
Ramsey is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nowthen | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Elk River | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Andover | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Dayton | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Anoka | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Ramsey | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Ramsey 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.
- 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 Ramsey
Is Ramsey at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ramsey has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #253 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ramsey flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Ramsey since 1997, $7K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ramsey 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 Anoka County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ramsey?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ramsey’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ramsey at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Ramsey’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ramsey.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ramsey’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.