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AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Alto · FEMA

FEMA puts Alto’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alto gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 20%Hail 12%

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 91%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A
in Wisconsin · lower than 91% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 9 declared for Fond du Lac County
By hazard

What Alto 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

64%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Lightning Hurricanes Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 16% of Alto’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 Alto’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alto, and Alto’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 20% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Alto sits
Alto
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Alto’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Tornadoes20%Hail12%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $599K a year in losses across Alto: $392K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Alto’s 1,055 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Brandon village (882 residents) and Metomen town (689 residents) and Springvale town (675 residents) and Fairwater village (346 residents) and Alto CDP (166 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Alto flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Alto. 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

Alto isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Fond du Lac County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alto

Disasters that paid out in Alto itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Alto), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides$24K to the Town of Alto for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$15K to the Town of Alto for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Alto for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AltoFond du Lac County only

Fond du Lac County has had 9 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Alto after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Alto archive →
Next door

Alto and its neighbors

Alto has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Waupun: hazard risk B+Mackford: not gradedMetomen: not gradedTrenton: hazard risk AWaupun: hazard risk AWaupunMackfordMetomenTrentonWaupunAlto
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AltoAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding0
TrentonAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding—
WaupunAless damage than 87%river and rain flooding12
WaupunB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding11
Mackford—451 residents; we grade 1,000+
Metomen—599 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 Alto 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 Alto

Is Alto at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alto has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (20%). 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 Alto 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 Fond du Lac County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Alto?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alto’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 Alto?

By FEMA money that reached Alto, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides (2018): $24K to the Town of Alto for repairs.

Is Alto at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Alto’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alto.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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