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Red Lake County CourthouseRed Lake County Courthouse · Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Red Lake Falls · FEMA

FEMA puts Red Lake Falls’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Red Lake Falls gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 84%Ice storms 6%Tornadoes 4%

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 80%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 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Red Lake County
By hazard

What Red Lake Falls 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

84%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Ice storms

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms top 1% Hail Wildfire Lightning top 2% Cold waves Earthquakes Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 14% of Red Lake Falls’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Red Lake Falls’ grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Red Lake Falls, and Red Lake Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 6%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Red Lake Falls sits
Red Lake Falls
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Red Lake Falls’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Ice storms6%Tornadoes4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $901K a year in losses across Red Lake Falls: $657K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Red Lake Falls’ 1,339 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Red Lake Falls township (192 residents) and Louisville township (171 residents) and River township (62 residents) and Wylie township (58 residents) and Browns Creek township (41 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 town’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 Red Lake Falls flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Red Lake Falls. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Red Lake Falls

Disasters that paid out in Red Lake Falls itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Red Lake Falls), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2022Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$33K to the City of Red Lake Falls for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$3K to the City of Red Lake Falls for repairs
  3. 2010Flooding$86K to the City of Red Lake Falls for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the City of Red Lake Falls for repairs
  5. 2002Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes$66K to the City of Red Lake Falls for repairs
  6. 1999Severe Ice Storm and Flooding$64K to the City of Red Lake Falls for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Red Lake FallsRed Lake County only

Red Lake County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Red Lake Falls archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Red Lake Falls 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 ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
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 Red Lake Falls

Is Red Lake Falls at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Red Lake Falls has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and ice storms (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 Red Lake Falls 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.

How much is flood insurance in Red Lake Falls?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Red Lake Falls’ 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 Red Lake Falls?

By FEMA money that reached Red Lake Falls, Flooding (2010): $86K to the City of Red Lake Falls for repairs.

Is Red Lake Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Red Lake Falls’ rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Red Lake Falls.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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