Crow Wing State Park · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Sylvan Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sylvan Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #179 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Sylvan 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 Sylvan Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sylvan Township, and Sylvan Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #179 of 274 in Minnesota; higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sylvan Township’s residents live in 3 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, Sylvan Township has more expected damage per building than 65% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Sylvan Township: $923K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sylvan Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sylvan Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sylvan 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: Cass County.The storms Sylvan Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Cass County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sylvan Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Cass County has had 10 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.
Sylvan Township and its neighbors
Sylvan Township is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Scandia Valley Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| East Gull Lake | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sylvan Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Fort Ripley Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rosing Township | — | 194 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Pillager | — | 547 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Fairview Township | — | not graded yet | |
| May Township | — | 938 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 Sylvan 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 Sylvan Township
Is Sylvan Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sylvan Township has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #179 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Sylvan 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 Cass County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Sylvan Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sylvan Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sylvan Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Sylvan Township’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sylvan Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sylvan 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.