On FEMA’s figures, Spicer faces less hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spicer gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (10%). 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 Spicer 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
Strong wind
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 Spicer’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Spicer, and Spicer’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 8%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Spicer’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $450K a year in losses across Spicer: $253K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Spicer flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Spicer. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Spicer isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kandiyohi County.The storms Spicer remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Kandiyohi County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Spicer itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Kandiyohi County has had 12 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.
Spicer and its neighbors
Spicer has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spicer | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Green Lake Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| New London Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Spicer 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Spicer
Is Spicer at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spicer has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (10%). 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 Spicer 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 Kandiyohi County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Spicer?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Spicer’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Spicer at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Spicer’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spicer.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Spicer’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.