Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to White Bear Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Old White Bear Town HallPhoto: McGhiever · CC BY 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in White Bear Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, White Bear Township faces less hazard damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Bear Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #123 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (10%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 78%Tornadoes 10%Hail 10%

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

less than 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#123 of 274 in Minnesota
Hazard risk
B#123 of 274
in Minnesota · lower than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 15 declared for Ramsey County
By hazard

What White Bear 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

78%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Ice storms Winter storms Earthquakes Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 18% of White Bear Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind White Bear Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in White Bear Township, and White Bear Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 10%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where White Bear Township sits
White Bear Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #123 of 274 in Minnesota; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

White Bear Township’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Tornadoes10%Hail10%Everything else2%

The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, White Bear Township has less expected damage per building than 55% of Minnesota towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across White Bear Township: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where White Bear Township’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does White Bear Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in White Bear Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

White Bear 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: Ramsey County.
Disasters

The storms White Bear Township remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Ramsey County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching White Bear Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in White Bear TownshipRamsey County only

Ramsey 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.

Next door

White Bear Township and its neighbors

White Bear Township is 4th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

White Bear Lake: hazard risk A−North Oaks: hazard risk B+Gem Lake: not gradedVadnais Heights: hazard risk A−Birchwood Village: not gradedMahtomedi: hazard risk BDellwood: hazard risk C+Hugo: hazard risk B−Lino Lakes: hazard risk CWhite Bear LakeNorth OaksGem LakeVadnais HeightsBirchwood VillageMahtomediDellwoodHugoLino LakesWhite Bear Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
White Bear LakeA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding3
Vadnais HeightsA−less damage than 75%river and rain flooding1
North OaksB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding—
White Bear TownshipBless damage than 61%river and rain flooding0
MahtomediBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
HugoB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding2
DellwoodC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
Lino LakesCmore damage than 75%river and rain flooding2
Gem Lake—483 residents; we grade 1,000+
Birchwood Village—866 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what White Bear 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in White Bear Township

Is White Bear Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Bear Township has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #123 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is White Bear 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 Ramsey County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in White Bear Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for White Bear Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is White Bear Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and White Bear Township’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in White Bear Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where White Bear 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.