Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Autoshade~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Altoona 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, Altoona gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #295 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (10%). 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 Altoona 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
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.
What’s behind Altoona’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Altoona, and Altoona’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #295 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Altoona’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Altoona has more expected damage per building than 81% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Altoona: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Altoona flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Altoona. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Altoona isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Eau Claire County.The storms Altoona remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Eau Claire County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Altoona itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Eau Claire County has had 6 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.
Altoona and its neighbors
Altoona is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Seymour | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Washington | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Altoona | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Altoona 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.
- 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 Altoona
Is Altoona at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Altoona has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #295 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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.
Is Altoona 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 Eau Claire County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Altoona?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Altoona’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Altoona at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Altoona’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Altoona.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Altoona’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.