FEMA puts Bashaw’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bashaw gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 2002.
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 Bashaw 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 Bashaw’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bashaw, and Bashaw’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bashaw’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $616K a year in losses across Bashaw: $225K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bashaw flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 2002
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bashaw, from FEMA’s records: 26.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bashaw isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washburn County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bashaw
Disasters that paid out in Bashaw itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bashaw), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$117K to the Town of Bashaw for repairs
Washburn County has had 7 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 Bashaw after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bashaw archive →Bashaw and its neighbors
Bashaw 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spooner | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Evergreen | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Shell Lake | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Bashaw | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Beaver Brook | — | 708 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dewey | — | 535 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Barronett | — | 480 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 Bashaw 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 Bashaw
Is Bashaw at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bashaw has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. 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.
Does Bashaw flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Bashaw since 2002, $789K in all, or 26.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bashaw 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 Washburn County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bashaw?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bashaw’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 Bashaw?
By FEMA money that reached Bashaw, Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2001): $117K to the Town of Bashaw for repairs.
Is Bashaw at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Bashaw’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bashaw.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bashaw’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.