Storms, floods and disasters in Spencer Township
Spencer Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Spencer Township has 562 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Spencer 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
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.
Does Spencer Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Spencer Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Spencer 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: Aitkin County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Spencer Township
Disasters that paid out in Spencer Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Spencer Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$13K to Spencer Township for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Flooding$55K to Spencer Township for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$8K to Spencer Township for repairs
Aitkin 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.
Old photos of Spencer Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Spencer Township archive →Spencer Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nordland Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Aitkin | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Kimberly Township | — | 185 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Morrison Township | — | 145 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Aitkin Township | — | 862 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 Spencer 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.
- 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 Spencer Township
Is Spencer 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 Aitkin County, 0.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Spencer Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Spencer 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 Spencer Township?
By FEMA money that reached Spencer Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2012): $55K to Spencer Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spencer Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Spencer 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.