Photo: Iulus Ascanius at English Wikipedia · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Welch Township
Welch Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Welch Township has 774 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Welch 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
Strong wind
Hail
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 Welch Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Welch Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Welch 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: Goodhue County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Welch Township
Disasters that paid out in Welch Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Welch Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$6K to Welch Township for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Flooding$86K to Welch Township for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$866 to Welch Township for repairs
Goodhue County has had 15 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 Welch Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Welch Township archive →Welch 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Grove | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ravenna Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Red Wing | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Vasa Township | — | 904 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Douglas Township | — | 773 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Diamond Bluff | — | 451 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 Welch 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Welch Township
Is Welch 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 Goodhue County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Welch Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Welch 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 Welch Township?
By FEMA money that reached Welch Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2012): $86K to Welch Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Welch Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Welch 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.