Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainFEMA puts Wisner’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wisner gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (13%). 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 Wisner 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
Wildfire
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 Wisner’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wisner, and Wisner’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 13%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wisner’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Wisner: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wisner flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wisner. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Wisner isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cuming County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Wisner
Disasters that paid out in Wisner itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Wisner), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding13 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$193K to the City of Wisner for repairs
Cuming County has had 21 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.
Old photos of Wisner after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wisner archive →Wisner and its neighbors
Wisner has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisner | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Wisner Township | — | 136 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Beemer Township | — | 864 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Blaine Township | — | 129 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 Wisner 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Wisner
Is Wisner at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wisner has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (13%). 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 Wisner 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 Cuming County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Wisner?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wisner’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 Wisner?
By FEMA money that reached Wisner, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): 13 households applied for aid, $29K approved, and $193K to the City of Wisner for repairs.
Is Wisner at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Wisner’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wisner.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wisner’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.