Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Walbridge 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, Walbridge gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #737 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979.
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 Walbridge 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 Walbridge’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Walbridge, and Walbridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B #737 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Walbridge’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Walbridge has more expected damage per building than 74% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Walbridge: $894K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Walbridge flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Walbridge, from FEMA’s records: 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Walbridge isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wood County.The storms Walbridge remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Wood County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Walbridge itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20152 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Wood County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Walbridge after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Walbridge archive →Walbridge and its neighbors
Walbridge is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwood | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Walbridge | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Lake Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Walbridge 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 Walbridge
Is Walbridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walbridge has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #737 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Walbridge flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Walbridge since 1979, $29K in all, or 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Walbridge 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 Wood County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Walbridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Walbridge’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Walbridge at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Walbridge’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walbridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Walbridge’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.