Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Sauk Centre Township faces more hazard damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sauk Centre Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% 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.
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 Sauk Centre Township 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 Sauk Centre Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sauk Centre Township, and Sauk Centre Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sauk Centre Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $758K a year in losses across Sauk Centre Township: $619K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sauk Centre Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sauk Centre Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sauk Centre Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Stearns County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Sauk Centre Township
Disasters that paid out in Sauk Centre Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Sauk Centre Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$5K to Sauk Centre Township for repairs
Stearns County has had 10 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.
Old photos of Sauk Centre Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sauk Centre Township archive →Sauk Centre Township and its neighbors
Sauk Centre Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauk Centre Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Melrose Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Kandota Township | — | 914 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ashley Township | — | 227 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Getty Township | — | 386 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Birchdale Township | — | 969 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 Sauk Centre Township 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 Sauk Centre Township
Is Sauk Centre Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sauk Centre Township has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Sauk Centre Township 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 Stearns 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 Sauk Centre Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sauk Centre Township’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 Sauk Centre Township?
By FEMA money that reached Sauk Centre Township, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2001): $5K to Sauk Centre Township for repairs.
Is Sauk Centre Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Sauk Centre Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sauk Centre Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sauk Centre Township’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.